Sirmaur CMO to officials: Focus on timely vaccination, TB eradication

Sirmaur Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Ajay Pathak emphasised the importance of timely healthcare measures during the Sirmaur Health Department’s monthly review meeting held recently. He instructed healthcare officials and workers to ensure that newborns delivered at home received the Hepatitis B zero dose vaccine within 24 hours of birth, highlighting the critical importance of this timeframe.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of various national health programmes and issued directives to strengthen immunisation efforts in the district.

Dr Pathak directed health workers to ensure the availability of essential healthcare services and adequate staffing in remote areas during the ongoing winter season.

He stressed the need for educating nursing mothers on recognising early signs of pneumonia in infants, which is common during the winters.

“Mothers should monitor their infants’ breathing and pulse rate, especially during instances of cold and cough. Rapid breathing or a high pulse rate are warning signs that require immediate medical attention at the nearest health facility,” he said.

He also urged families to seek medical care if a child shows signs of loss of appetite or difficulty in feeding, as these may indicate serious health conditions.

During the meeting, special emphasis was placed on the ongoing 100-Day TB campaign, aimed at making Sirmaur tuberculosis-free.

Dr Pathak said the department was conducting TB screening for 75,000 individuals across 16 categories in the district. “The initiative includes testing sputum samples for individuals showing TB symptoms and conducting X-rays for other high-risk groups. However, the task of conducting thousands of X-rays has posed logistical challenges,” Dr Pathak added.

To address this, the department was exploring the use of mobile X-ray systems for door-to-door screening, he said. The meeting concluded with an action plan for bolstering immunisation drives, improving health infrastructure in remote areas, and achieving the district’s TB eradication goals.

Health workers were urged to maintain vigilance during the winter season and to prioritise both preventive care and timely treatment to ensure the wellbeing of residents.