The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has started inoculating homeless persons and beggars in the township to ensure that no one is left out of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, a civic official said on Thursday, June 24.
According to reports, at least 14 such people from the Belapur division were administered the vaccine doses on Wednesday, June 23. The special drive will cover all areas of the NMMC in the next 10 days.
"We will ensure no one is left out of the vaccination campaign. Hence, a drive has been undertaken to cover the homeless persons and beggars," NMMC Commissioner Abhijit Bhangar was quoted as saying PTI.
Moreover, the officials claimed that the NMMC was possibly the first civic body in Maharashtra to undertake the vaccination drive for homeless persons and beggars.
Explaining in detail, the civic spokesperson mentioned that a team of health officials will visit different places and vaccinate homeless persons. Since such people do not have identity proof, their biometric details will be collected, he added.
For the homeless person brought for vaccination, a separate handwashing section has been arranged near the centre. Moreover, tea and biscuits have been arranged for them. They are vaccinating after collecting fingerprints and registering their names on the government portal, the official said, adding that special software has been developed to record the fingerprint data.
Later, they are asked to wait for 30 minutes for inspection. At the same time, they are being informed about the use of masks and other coveted safety rules and are being appealed to abide by them. Today, 103 homeless persons have been counselled at 19 different places in the Belapur division, out of which 14 persons have been vaccinated.
Also Read: NMMC to conduct special vaccination drive for Covishield second dose
Organizers have been searching for places in each section where homeless people could be found, such as railway stations, flyovers, places outside religious places, and vaccinations are being carried out there. The information collected for this campaign will be used by the Social Development Department to implement public welfare schemes in future.
In addition, officials also said that assistance from NGOs will be taken to identify the homeless people. Transgender persons will also be vaccinated, the official said.
Also Read: NMMC conducts free vaccination program for children
Share
Tweet
