Health officials in Arunachal Pradesh trek for over 9 hours to vaccinate grazers in a remote village

Sixteen villagers of the remote Luguthang village in Arunachal Pradesh could not get their COVID-19 vaccinations in a camp organised on May 19 at Domstang in Twang district of the state. Luguthang is one of the farthest, most geographically cut off villages in Twang.

To reach the location, the group had to trek for five hours.

According to The Hindu, all the ten families living in this village graze yak for a living, and although the families could not reach the immunisation camp, officials trekked for over nine hours to bring the vaccine to them. They traversed through rough terrain of forests and rivers, and braved incessant rain to reach the villagers.

"A vaccination camp was organised at Domtsang on May 19. The grazers could not attend the vaccination camp. We decided to reach their village to vaccinate all the grazers who left during the camp. The weather played a major hurdle for us because of the incessant rain but we were determined to reach their place," a health official told NDTV.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu also praised the officials for their efforts.

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The health officials started the trek from the nearest motor-able road, Thingbu Hydel at 7:15 am on July 11 and reached Luguthang by 4:30 pm in the evening. Although heavy rains dampened the spirits, Deputy Commissioner Sang Phuntsok did not want to shift the date.

According to NDTV, on reaching the location, the health officials held a brief meeting with the villagers post which they vaccinated all those eligible in the village. They even distributed free medicines for ailments like diarrhoea. A senior veterinary officer accompanying the group was kind enough to give deworming and other important medicines for the livestock as well.

“The trip was worth it as all the eligible villagers have received their first dose of the vaccine,” Mr. Phuntsok told The Hindu.

(Written by Vrinda Garg)

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