COVID-19 vaccination drive: Karnataka may require 1.47 lakh staffs
Karnataka may need at least 1.47 lakh vaccination personnel to kick-start the arduous COVID-19 vaccination drive. The state government is calling a vast net to marshal a small army of individuals to join with the 10,008 experienced vaccinators that the state currently has.
Karnataka would alone need more than 29,000 doctors or staff authorized to give an injection. This is due to the COVID-19 vaccine operational guideline announced by the Govt. of India that stipulates that each vaccination center should be staffed by a 5-member group.
Dr. K Sudhakar, Health and Family Welfare Minister, said that the 6 personnel per site might be needed, saying they will be established along lines similar to booths. Each vaccination booth will certainly have 2 vaccinators (ANM, Nurses, Man MPW, pharmacologist, etc.), 1 assistant for maintaining data, 1 assistant for logistics, and 2 or 3 individuals (NCC, volunteers) for crowd management. Thorough SOPs are being finalized in this concern.
Personnel has to be found to staff the 29,451 selected vaccination centers in Karnataka. Until now, the Department of Health and Family Welfare stated that it had trained just 500 extra personnel.
Dr. Rajani Nagesh Rao
, Director of Immunisation, said that the state immunization personnel were trained by the Govt of India – 500 districts, taluk, and medical college officers were trained via Zoom, who in turn have to train block-level officers.The important task of training Primary Health Clinic personnel has been given to the members of the so-called Block Task Forces comprising tahsildars, panchayat officers, rotary members, and even agents of the National Cadet Corps.
According to Dr. Giridhar Babu, an epidemiologist, the actual obstacle will be in urban regions. There is 1 junior health assistant for every 5,000 individuals in the rural regions, which a very durable system. They are already in the program, immunizing children weekly, providing intramuscular shots as well as subcutaneous injections; therefore, to offer adults is easier than giving to kids.
MR vaccination template
Dr. Sudhakar expressed confidence that the state’s universal (child) immunization programs had actually offered the necessary experience to deal with the substantial program. Karnataka is well-placed to execute the COVID-19 immunization program, and it is visible from the state’s involvement throughout the combined Measles-Rubella immunization drive in 2017 wherein 1.58 crore kids were covered in 2 months.
However, a health officer associated with immunization programs alerted that the govt is rushing things at the cost of thorough preparation. Also, the initiation of a novel vaccine for kids immunization programs needs 3-4 years preparing.
