Discounts to grants, how Haryana's Nuh is giving Covid vaccine a push

NUH: The festive season is over, but it’s still raining discounts and incentives in Nuh. From medicines, even petrol, to development grants, people who have taken their vaccine shots are being offered a slew of benefits.
Along with sustained awareness programmes, the Nuh administration has chalked out innovative initiatives to encourage residents to get vaccinated against Covid. Just an hour’s drive from Gurugram, which is inching towards inoculating its entire targeted population, Nuh has had the lowest vaccine coverage among 22 districts in the state.

In June, only about 10% of the targeted population in the district had taken their first shot. The door-to-door counselling sessions, coupled with the promises of development funds and discounts, seemed to have helped. As of November 19, about 45% of the residents had taken their first dose. However, the pace of second dose vaccinations is quite slow. Only about 10% of the people in Nuh have been fully vaccinated as of now.
On Saturday, the district administration held a mega drive. It managed to inoculate 17,373 people across the district, of whom 15,409 took the first shot.
Deputy commissioner Shakti Singh claimed that more than 50% -- and not 45.9% as mentioned in the records -- of the estimated population had taken their first dose. “This is because there are at least 40,000 vaccinations that have been completed but not yet uploaded. If they are added, we will cross the 50% mark in terms of first doses. The number of people who are eligible for vaccination here is 7.5 lakh. We have covered 4.5 lakh so far, which is more than half,” Singh added.
In absolute numbers, there is a lot to be covered still. Of 435 villages in Nuh, eligible residents in only 18 villages have been fully vaccinated.
But this came after a tough battle against hesitancy and rumours that the vaccine may have side effects. Even before the administration announced the discounts, Asha and ANM workers toured these 18 villages and went to each and every household to raise awareness. Reaching the villages wasn't easy – there was hardly any transport. So, the health department arranged for 44 vehicles to ferry the Asha and ANM workers.
“We selected 50 villages with the lowest vaccination rate and 50 with the highest. Those who were hesitating to take the vaccine were told about those who had taken both their shots. Each ANM worker was given two villages to raise awareness,” the DC said.
“We have given aprons to the Asha and ANM workers so that it instills confidence in them and they feel proud to do the work. Every day, I identify the top five vaccinators and those who are yet to catch up. I speak to both,” Singh said.
It was also decided to involve priests and maulvis in the awareness drive. Slowly, the teams were able to wipe out the hesitancy in some of the villages. “We have a long way to go,” an official said.
The administration has also promised a development grant of Rs 10 lakh each to the first 10 villages where the entire targeted population have taken both doses.
The administration has collaborated with the Nuh chemist association, which has asked pharmacists to offer a 5% discount on medicines to those who have taken their first shot and 10% to those who have been jabbed twice.
The chemist association’s appeal found a response. More than 300 medicine stores are offering discounts now. “We pasted posters outside each shop, promising rebates. A person has to show the vaccine certificate and the discount would be offered,” said Tej Pal, who heads the chemist association.
But what has also worked, officials feel, is a 50p cut on every litre of petrol to those who have taken at least one shot. Rising fuel prices had become a cause for concern across the country. “These decisions were taken at the sub-decision level. “Earlier, it was only the health department that was involved in motivating the villagers. Then, the administration joined. We made village-level committees and village heads were made part of these committees. It is easier to convince the villagers this way,” said Surender Kumar Yadav, the chief medical officer.
The administration is also drawing up a list of people with disabilities. Such people would be vaccinated at home.