Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar, Pankaj Kumar Sharma today chaired a meeting of the District Task Force on Immunization (DTFI) to review inter-departmental preparedness for the launch of the National HPV Vaccination Campaign in the district.
The nationwide campaign, scheduled to start from 28th February, aims to protect adolescent girls from cervical cancer through timely vaccination. The campaign will cover girls who have completed 14 years of age but have not yet attained 15 years.
The initiative focuses on providing early and effective protection against cervical cancer by administering the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The DC stressed the need for strong coordination among all concerned departments to ensure smooth and successful implementation of the campaign.
He laid special emphasis on awareness generation among parents and students, proper micro-planning, efficient logistics management and a robust monitoring mechanism to achieve full coverage across the district. Highlighting the importance of collective responsibility, the Deputy Commissioner directed all line departments to extend full cooperation and work in close coordination with the Health Department to ensure timely and effective rollout of the vaccination drive.
Later, the Deputy Commissioner also chaired a separate meeting with the Heads of educational institutions across the district. He directed them to play an active role in the implementation of the vaccination campaign by facilitating awareness, identification of eligible students and coordination with health teams.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Yudhvir Singh Kotwal briefed the participants about the objectives, target group and operational aspects of the vaccination campaign. The Deputy Commissioner also took stock of the issues being faced by the Educational Institutions with regard to school building and other institutional needs.
He issued necessary on-the-spot directions and assured full support from the district administration to address genuine issues and improve the functioning of educational institutions. The meeting was attended by ADC Kishtwar Pawan Kotwal, PO ICDS Kishtwar Dr. Rishi Kumar Sharma, ACR Kishtwar Idrees lone, SDM Paddar Dr. Amit Kumar, CMO Kishtwar Dr. Yudhvir Singh Kotwal, CEO Kishtwar Sanjay Dogra, BMOs besides other officers and concerned staff.