In the past one month, Udit Pratap Singh Jyoti, a young sarpanch in Odisha’s Nuapada district, has doled out more promises than he did during his election campaign days.
From shouldering the burden of a family upon the death of its breadwinner to footing hospital bills, Mr. Jyoti (29), has just kept showering promises.
What made him embark on poll mode? His panchayat, the little known Kushumjore under Sinapali block, shares a border with Chhattisgarh. The remoteness and prevailing vaccine hesitancy had made difficult the task of local administration in inoculating the population.
The young sarpanch’s assurances came in handy, and the administration is now just short of vaccinating 18 more people before achieving 100% population coverage for the first dose in the 45 years and above group in Kushumjore panchayat.
The vaccines and their recipients are ready. By the first hour of June 28, Kushumjore is set to achieve the rare feat of vaccine saturation in Odisha.
This is a no mean achievement. A few weeks ago, people were running away from the mere mention of vaccination, saying they would die in three months if they took the vaccines.
“Though government authorities had been trying hard to persuade people to get the jab, it was not happening. People were expecting someone from the community to provide the assurance. I told people that I would shoulder responsibility for their family members if anything happened to them after vaccination. It instilled confidence among people,” said Mr. Jyoti.
Kushumjore comprises of five villages — Haldikhol, Nuaguda, Kaseipani, Kushumjore and Brahmaniguda. COVID-19 vaccination is probably the first major health response the people of this panchayat have come across. The nearest Primary Health Centre is situated at a distance of 15 km. Not all habitations under the panchayat can be reached by vehicle.
“Except three to four teachers, the panchayat is devoid of educated persons. Of the 708 persons aged above 45 in panchayat, about 100 persons had received vaccine in the month of April. However, when Chhattisgarh recorded COVID-19 deaths around that time, it made them panic. We were not able to convince people to get vaccinated thereafter,” said Bhairab Charan Panigrahi, an Ayush doctor in charge of the panchayat.
Dr. Panigrahi said the vaccination team comprising of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), Anganwadi workers, the sarpanch, and top block and district level officers, conducted meetings and went from door-to-door, appealing to people to participate in vaccination.
After a lot of effort went into convincing people, the vaccination drive picked up pace from June 21. Out of 708 persons aged above 45 years, as many as 690 have already been inoculated. “The Sunday, being a no-vaccine day, halted the spectacular run, otherwise we would have achieved the goal,” the doctor said.
“We have received vaccines for people aged between 18 and 44 on June 21. Henceforth, we hope the vaccination process will be smooth. As elders have already received vaccines and no untoward incident has occurred, there is no reason why younger people should be reluctant,” said Sadasiva Naik, Sinapalli Block Development Officer.
As of now, Odisha has administered the first dose to 60,28,599 people aged 45 years and above. It constitutes 52% of the targeted group. The second dose has been given to 14,88,963 persons in the category. Vaccine hesitancy prevailing in rural pockets, especially tribal-dominated regions, has slowed down the vaccination process.
