Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 27: Minister of State for Health, Shabir Ahmad Khan today launched the ‘National Teeka Express’, for high priority districts, besides mobile vaccine vans for other nine districts.
The 27 vehicles including 18 ‘mobile Teeka Express’ for high priority districts of Poonch, Rajouri and Doda would be used for distribution of the vaccines and complementary logistics from last cold chain point to immunization session sites and also serve as a mobile healthcare delivery unit for the areas where there is no healthcare facility or health workers
Similarly, 9 mobile vaccine vans for Districts of Leh, Kargil, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Kupwara and Anantnag in Kashmir Division while as three for Rajouri, Poonch and Doda Districts would reach to the far-off areas to administer vaccines to protect children from life-threatening childhood diseases at their doorsteps.
Commissioner Secretary, Health and Medical Education, Gazanfar Hussian, Mission Director, NRHM, Dr. Yash Pal Sharma, Director Health Services, Jammu, Dr B.S.Phatani, Director Family Welfare, Dr. Baldev Sharma, Director ISM, Dr. Ab Kabir, Controller Drug and Food Organization, Satish Gupta were among others present on the occasion.
The 27 vehicles, including ’18 mobile Teeka Express’ and 9 mobile vaccine vans have been procured by the Union Health Ministry under National Immunization Express Programme for immunization coverage of the children in high priority districts of the State.
Speaking on the occasion, the Health Minister said that in the first phase 27 vehicles of ‘Teeka Express” and mobile vaccine vans have been procured by the Centre for J&K at a total cumulative cost of Rs 2 crore, adding that operational costs of Teeka Express would be provided under NRHM. This includes cost of hiring the driver, cost of POL (Petrol Oil Lubricant) and maintenance costs of the vehicle.
The Health Minister said that under the National Immunization Express Programme, the Government aims to make the vaccines available to remote rural areas in time and safely. He said the designated vehicles under the brand name of ‘National Teeka Express’ will help not only in distribution of the vaccines and complementary logistics from last cold chain point to immunization session sites but will also ensure holding of sessions at the mobile vaccination centers now.
The Minister said that in order to reduce vaccine wastage and ensure better utilization of vaccines, including costly vaccines like pentavalent vaccine ‘Teeka Express’ will be used with reverse cold chain to bring back the open and un-used vaccines for use in subsequent sessions. He said the Teeka Express will also serve as a mobile healthcare delivery unit for the areas where there is no healthcare facility or health workers.
After the immunization outreach session, Teeka Express will collect immunization related bio-medical waste for safe disposal at vaccine storage points, Shabir said and added that it will also collect the coverage and immunization performance reports of the session for compilation and preparation of report at PHC.
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