Lady health workers engaged to assist elderly persons in getting vaccinated
Zubair Qureshi
The District Health Department of Islamabad has engaged lady health workers (LHWs) to visit rural and urban areas for services to meet and convince citizens above 65 visit their nearby vaccination centres and receive jabs.
District Health Officer (DHO) of Islamabad Dr Zaeem Zia said on Tuesday, the initiative was quite helpful as the LHWs engage the local community leaders, elderly persons particularly women in their native language and guide them how to get their elders or themselves vaccinated at the nearby centres.
For convenience of the people, the District Health Department has set up around 15 vaccination centres across the city where a walk-in facility for free vaccination is being provided to the elderly people and the frontline health workers.
They include Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), CDA Hospital G-6, Quaid-e-Azam International Hospital, CDA Medical Centre, G-9/4, Kulsoom International, Maroof Hospital F-10, NIRM, Polyclinic, RHC Tarlai, RHC Bhara Kahu, RHC Sihala, Akbar Niazi Teaching Hospital, Federal Govt Hospital and IHITC.
These LHWs will go door-to-door and check and make sure no one is left from being vaccinated and they will assist them to locate and walk to the closest centres. Dr Zaeem requested the public to follow their (LHWs) instructions.
At our Rural Health Centre (RHC) Tarlai, we have set up a new counter for 70+ citizens to receive jabs, he further said.
Tarlai Centre is reserved for 70+ elderly persons, he said adding the measure was taken to streamline the process for the people of this age bracket.
While talking to Pakistan Observer, a number of elderly citizens who received vaccination on Tuesday at the Tarlai Vaccination Centre, said they faced no difficulty in receiving jabs as there were no restrictions of producing mobile phone data registration number of NADRA message nor we had to stand in queue.
They only saw our Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) and after making sure we were above 70 they administered vaccine, said they.
Saeeda Bibi a 72-year retired school teacher, also expressed her satisfaction at the arrangements made for the elderly persons to be vaccinated at the Tarlai Centre.
Contrary to my apprehensions I am being guided, escorted and then vaccinated by efficient staff present at the centre, she said.
Islamabad on Tuesday reported 659 cases of COVID-19 after 7,500 tests were conducted in the last twenty-four hours.
According to the National Health Services data, the positivity rate in the city remained 8.79 per cent while the total number of cases after the latest cases surged to 62,211, one death in the last one day has made the city’s death toll 584.
Islamabad has seen 49,839 recoveries since the outbreak of the virus last year.
