The government on Friday rolled out an intensive vaccination drive to bolster rural vaccination coverage and attain the target of “COVID-free villages”.
The programme has commenced in Puducherry and Karaikal.
Addressing the media after launching the “COVID-19 Model Village Vaccination Camp” at Vaithikuppam, Lt. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said the larger goal was to make Puducherry a fully vaccinated Union Territory.
“We want to cover all rural areas in phases and eventually cover the entire population and declare the U.T. as COVID-free,” she said. The campaign was targeting 100% vaccination of the rural population aged above 45.
The Lt. Governor said she had discussed the need to intensify vaccination with Chief Minister N. Rangasamy and appealed for the support of all MLAs.
The campaign is jointly run by the District Rural Development Agency and the Health Department.
Pro-tem Speaker K. Lakshminarayanan and Health Secretary T. Arun participated in the launch. The Lt. Governor later launched the campaign in Pudukuppam.
Counselling for patients
Meanwhile, the Health Department has launched “Pahirvoma”, an initiative to provide psychological counselling to patients in home quarantine.
Conducted in consultation with the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services and the Department of Social Work, University of Pondicherry, the programme envisages tele-medicine facility for patients to provide psychological support during their home isolation. A panel of experts from the Department of Psychiatry under the National Psychiatric Programme (NMHP) can be consulted for easy access to mental health care and assistance.
Counselling services will be available from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on ph: 04132262547.
