Chennai, July 15(BPNS)
When Covid second pandemic was rearing its ugly head several NGO’s and voluntary organisations had joined hands with the government including the primary health centres and corporations to create vaccine awareness and even conducting vaccination camps across the state.
The NGO Aid India has , according to its directors, worked in around 484 villages throughout the state and was primarily involved in providing food and free ration to those families who were daily wage earners and below the poverty line category. A director of Aid India who does not want to be named while speaking to BPNS said, “We are also into educating children in villages whose parents could not afford their education following Covid and this was one area where we wanted to pitch in and we are continuing with it.”
The Aid India volunteers also joined with primary health centres and government hospitals for conducting vaccination camps.
Thanal, an NGO based at Chetpet in Chennai and with branches in Erode and Madurai had conducted vaccination awareness programmes across villages in these areas and had helped people overcome the vaccine hesitancy of the village population.
Balamurugan, Director of Thanal while speaking to BPNS said, “We conducted several awareness programmes across Madurai, Erode and in outskirts of Chennai among the people and used video programmes and other means to educate them on the need for vaccination. We also roped in several local level television stars who are highly popular in Tamil Nadu for featuring in short visual awareness programmes and this has helped a lot of people coming out for vaccination.”
The Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian also acknowledged the yeoman service of the NGO’s and Voluntary organisations in supporting the government for the awareness programmes and even conducting vaccination camps.
The Minister while speaking to BPNS said,” Government need support from the general public during a calamity and I am thankful to all the NGO’s and voluntary organisations who had joined hands with the government during the pandemic.”
The Muslim Service Society based out of Egmore was also actively involved in educating people from the community and prepare them for vaccination drives.
M. Abdul Gafoor, an office-bearer of the organization while speaking to BPNS said, “There were apprehensions among people on vaccination at the early stages and we had chipped in and worked among the people using the good offices of priests and clergy and this was highly effective. The increase in vaccination is mainly due to such awareness programmes conducted.”
The organization also helped support several children with tablets, smartphones and other gadgets for online classes. The organisation has roped in several philanthropists for buying electronic gadgets.
In several parts of Tamil Nadu, long queues were witnessed for taking vaccination and this is considered as the hard work done by government agencies, voluntary organisations and NGO’s to create awareness among the people.
The Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian has apprised the Union health minister that the awareness has led to people coming out in large numbers to take the jab but the acute shortage of vaccines, resulted in those who stand in long queues going back to their residences without vaccination and leading to arguments and in some cases even fisticuffs with the health officials.
