Mangaluru polio drive focuses on high-risk areas

MANGALURU: The health and family welfare department has identified 24,000 high-risk areas in the state, which have more migrant labourers, for effective implementation of the Pulse Polio Immunisation Drive 2015. The department set a goal of administering polio drops to 75.94 lakh children below five years across Karnataka through the drive to be held on January 18 and February 22. The department has formed 51,558 teams comprising 1,03,440 health workers, 4,619 supervisors, 923 mobile units and 2,162 transit units to carry out the drive, said health and family welfare minister UT Khader. Department director Dr HC Ramesh said 4,000 HRAs (high-risk areas) have been identified in BBMP limits and outskirts of Bengaluru city. "Health workers have been given special training to implement the programme in HRAs. Children of migrant labourers in construction sites, brick kilns, sugarcane industries and other workplaces will be given more emphasis through the drive," he said. Health workers will monitor the movement of those migrant labourers and ensure their children are given all periodical doses of immunization starting from zero dose of BCG, pentavalent vaccine, doses of measles and polio, Dr Ramesh added.. Khader said chief minister Siddaramaiah will launch the first phase of the programme at his official residence on Sunday. Jyothi Sanjivini and Rajiv Gandhi Arogya Bhagya schemes of the government will be launched in Bengaluru on April 20. The department will open geriatric wards in Kolar, Dharwad, Tumakuru and Chikkamagaluru government hospitals soon, Khader said, adding that geriatric wards will be opened in Dakshina Kannada and other districts across the state in the next phase. Health and family welfare minister U T Khader said there is nothing wrong in a Congress leader forming an organisation for the welfare of a particular religion with good intention. He was referring to the launching of Bharathiya Hindu Parishad (BHP) by Puttur block Congress president Hemanth Shetty. Khader told reporters here on Friday that BHP, which was formed by Shetty, cannot be judged as a communal organisation without evaluating its activities. "BHP is an organisation formed by Shetty in his individual capacity. Further, only the activities of BHP will decide whether it is communal or not. In my personal opinion, we cannot judge an organization and call it 'communal' by taking only the name into consideration. It is not the name of an organisation that describes its nature and functioning, but the activities that reveal its identity. Party high command will monitor the intention of the BHP and take a decision if its activities are found anti-party," Khader said. It may be recalled that former Union minister B Janardhan Poojary has recommended the party high command to take disciplinary action against Shetty, who launched the BHP on Makara Sankranthi on Wednesday. Don't judge a party by its name: Khader Health and family welfare minister U T Khader said there is nothing wrong in a Congress leader forming an organisation for the welfare of a particular religion with good intention. He was referring to the launching of Bharathiya Hindu Parishad (BHP) by Puttur block Congress president Hemanth Shetty. Khader told reporters here on Friday that BHP, which was formed by Shetty, cannot be judged as a communal organisation without evaluating its activities. "BHP is an organisation formed by Shetty in his individual capacity. Further, only the activities of BHP will decide whether it is communal or not. In my personal opinion, we cannot judge an organization and call it 'communal' by taking only the name into consideration. It is not the name of an organisation that describes its nature and functioning, but the activities that reveal its identity. Party high command will monitor the intention of the BHP and take a decision if its activities are found anti-party," Khader said. It may be recalled that former Union minister B Janardhan Poojary has recommended the party high command to take disciplinary action against Shetty, who launched the BHP on Makara Sankranthi on Wednesday. -TOI