Sarma launches Mission Indradhanush

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Oct 8: State Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched Mission Indradhanush at Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital, Guwahati on Sunday.

Mission Indradhanush is a health mission of the Government of India. It was launched by Union Health Minister JP dda on December 25, 2014. It aims to immunize all children under the age of two years, as well as all pregnt women, against seven vaccine preventable diseases – diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis, tuberculosis, measles and Hepatitis B. In addition to these, vaccines for Japanese Encephalitis and Haemophilus influenza type B are also being provided in selected states. The minister launched the mission by giving polio drops to five infants.    

Launching the mission, Sarma said: “We’re grateful to Prime Minister rendra Modi who made all these available for us. I hope this mission will be able to meet the medical needs of all infants and pregnt mothers in the State, including those residing in far-flung rural areas. As many as 4,000 health sub-centres have been set up in the State, besides mobile medical units so as to make vaccition accessible to all needy. This mission is set to bring down the rate of infant mortality in the State. Polio doze can help babies in many ways, and parents should be aware of this. Even before the implementation of this mission, the State Government had always been conducting vaccition drives in the State. We hope this mission will script a success story in vaccition in the State. This mission has four rounds – the first round to start from November 7 this year. I hope the ASHA Karmis, ASHA supervisors and ANM nurses will do their best to reach each and every newborn in the State. The rate of infant mortality in the State has been brought down to a large extent.”