Difficulty in Delivering Vaccines to Health Center Due to Geographical Difficulty and Snow Covered Road

  February 29, 2024 By: INSEC

Transporting vaccines to the health center in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-1, Gurja, Myagdi, is challenging due to snowy conditions of the road. This affected the delivery of vaccines for the Measles and Rubella Vaccination Campaign scheduled from February 28 to March 4 in Myagdi District. Despite this situation, Pahalman Chantyal, an office assistant at the Gurja health post, put his health at risk and carried vaccines to the health center for the health of the children.

Talking about the difficulties, after reaching Deurali at a height of 3,220 meters above sea level, one has to go down again and travel for nine hours on foot to reach Gurja. Locals who are able to walk quickly can reach Gurja from Lulang in approximately 6 to 7 hours on foot. The Chief of the health branch, Dhaualagiri Rural Municipality, Samjhana KC mentioned that Lulang is the closest settlement to Gurja. She added that the journey took more time than usual due to the snow on the road up to the health post where the vaccine was supposed to be delivered. She said the delivery of the vaccine safely to Gurja was their priority and they sent someone to travel through the snow to deliver the vaccines to the health post.

Vaccines were stored in Dhaualagiri Rural Municipality-7 Takam for the vaccination campaign to be started from 28 of February. Krishna Prasad Subedi, the Chief Administrative Officer of Dhaualagiri Rural Municipality, said that  the vaccination was completed on the same day after the health post sent an office assistant to take the vaccines. In Gurja, 30 out of 40 children aged 9 months to 5 years, 20 girls and 10 boys were vaccinated. KC, the Chief of the health branch, mentioned that one girl was not vaccinated due to health issues, as coordinated with representatives of the World Health Organization. The vaccination campaign in Gurja was successfully completed on the first day.

The target is to vaccinate 6,570 children between the ages of 9 months and 5 years in Myagdi district. Acting Chief of Health Office Myagdi Bhuwan Thakurathi said that 150 health workers and 300 volunteers have been mobilized in 150 vaccination centers in the district.


Amrit Prasad Paudel