Vinay Kumar Sorake, Urban Development Minister, launched the fourth phase of the Mission Indradhanush immunisation programme at the Urban Family Health Centre here on Monday.
It aims to cover children aged up to two, who are partially vaccinated or unvaccinated, and also pregnant women. It provides protection against seven life-threatening diseases such as diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B. Vaccination against tetanus is also provided to the pregnant women.
Mr. Sorake said that parents should take more care about the health of their children. They should provide vaccines to their children within the stipulated period.
He lauded voluntary organisations such as Rotary Club for supporting this initiative of the Department of Health and Family Welfare.
The Minister urged the junior health assistants and anganwadi workers to give more publicity to programmes such as the present so that everyone was aware of it. Rohini, District Health and Family Welfare Officer, said that the department had set a target of covering 468 pregnant women and 2,464 children under the fourth phase in the district. The department had opened 295 vaccination centres and 35 mobile centres for this purpose, she said.
Gracy Gonsalves, Deputy Director of Women and Child Welfare; Devaraj Murthy, Secretary of Urban Family Health Centre; and Prabhakar Mallya, president of Rotary Club, were present.