Four committees for planning, execution, supervision and monitoring of COVID-19 vaccination programme in Telangana was formed by the State government.
The committees are State Steering Committee, State Task Force, District Task Force and Mandal Task Force. Senior officials said the State government has begun preparations for possible introduction of COVID-19 vaccine.
Orders issued on Friday laid out tasks of the committees during preparatory phase and phase of implementation upon availability of vaccine.
One of the terms of reference of the State Steering Committee during the preparatory phase is to review the State’s preparatory activities in terms of cold chain preparedness, operational planning, communication planning, strategies for anticipated State-specific challenges in terms of geographical terrain, network connectivity, and hard-to-reach areas.
The orders also detail who will be the chairperson, convener and members of each of the committees.
The Chief Secretary will be the chairperson of the State Steering Committee. Staff and officials from various departments might be included in the planning and execution stage as heads of Home Department, Tribal Welfare Department, and others as members of the committee.
The State Task Force, headed by Health and Family Welfare Department’s Principal Secretary, will review cold chain preparedness across the State for possible introduction of COVID-19 vaccine.
During the implementation phase, they will have to develop a media plan to address rumour-mongering as well as vaccine eagerness.
Four more panels
Besides these four committees, Health and Family Welfare Department’s Principal Secretary Syed Ali Murtaza Rizvi issued orders for forming four more committees for creating awareness, enrolment of beneficiaries as per national priorities, assistance and coordination at vaccine booths, and to resolve bottlenecks.
The four committees are District Coordination Committee, Mandal Coordination Committee, Municipal Coordination Committee, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Coordination Committee.