Highrises shut out polio drive

Health officers are barred from entering the premises on pretext of security

If you thought it was only the illiterate or people from the poorer section of the society who were acting as a deterrent to the national polio programme, you might be in for a rude shock.

Residents of around 181 buildings in posh localities in the city are also to be blamed for defeating the purpose of one of the most ambitious programmes undertaken to eradicate polio from India.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has drawn up a list of about 106 housing societies in areas like Malabar Hill, Nepean Sea Road, Nariman Point and Colaba, where volunteers administering the free drops are denied entry on pretext of security reasons.

Even in the suburbs, there are 75 such societies located mainly in Bandra and Andheri. Each polio campaign incurs a cost of anything between Rs45-50 lakh.

For the BMC, problems are compounded in Muslim areas, where their workers are denied access as a chunk of the community harbours the belief that the oral polio vaccine results in impotence.

The BMC authorities say though the residents of highrises can choose when and how to vaccinate their children, the programme suffers due to their non-cooperation. “We do not know how many children are there in those buildings and whether they have been vaccinated,” said Dr Usha Ubale, assistant executive health officer, BMC.

Some societies do not even allow the field workers to temporarily mark their buildings with chalk, she added. Recently, a field worker was reportedly asked by the society to remove the chalk mark with her saree. In such societies, either the health officer or the ward officers try convincing the residents.

Neena Singh, resident of Bandra, said, “It is not only about security, but also our concern about the efficacy of the oral polio vaccine. I trust my family doctor more than a government-run health programme.”

Smita Dixit, a resident of Lokhandwala Complex, too, had her son vaccinated at a private clinic. “That suited us better. In any, case door-to-door services are not allowed here,” she said, adding that others in her family also had never relied upon the polio immunisation programme.

However, what they do not know is that the vaccine administered by a private paediatrician is procured from the BMC. “All the vaccines and syringes are given to private doctors and hospitals for free,” said Dr Meeta Naik, surveillance officer, WHO. In short, such parents are paying for the same service that could be available to them free-of-cost. In certain cases, they are also being overcharged.