All preparations taken to make vitamin ‘A’ plus campaign successful

Bagerhat Correspondent :

Bagerhat District Health Department has completed all the necessary preparations to make a success the National vitamin ‘A’ plus campaign in all the nine Upazilas including 2 Pourshavas in the district on June 18 (from 8 am to 3pm). It was disclosed by Dr. Habibur Rahman, DCS (Deputy Civil Surgeon), Bagerhat in a press briefing held in the auditorium of Civil Surgeon’s Office on Wednesday morning with Dr. Jalal Ahmed, Civil Surgeon of Baberhat in the chair. It was also disclosed in the press conference that a total 1, 67,717 babies aged from 9-59 months will be administered vitamin A plus capsules from 1, 858 centers in the nine Upazilas in the district.
Out of them 20, 973 babies aged from 2 to11 months will be fed blue coloured vitamin A plus capsules and 1, 55, 741 babies aged from 12 to 59 months will be fed red coloued vitamin A plus capsules.
In order to make the campaign some, some 3, 716 volunteers, some 231 Class-I supervises and 693 Health Assistants were already engaged in the nine Upazilas and 2 Poursshavas of the district.
Dr. Jalal Ahmed, Civil Surgeon while delivered his presidential speech he informed the journalists, the campaign will be conducted in order to reduce death risks of babies, saving them from blindness caused by shortages of vitamin A and disseminating knowledge among the mass people about nutritional aspects for the children. He said, Vitamin A can prevent mal-nutritional blindness, especially night blindness, bitot’s spot and corneal lesions and also narrated, importance for continuation of Vitamin A supplementation. The pres briefing was also addressed among others by Nihar Ranjan Saha, President of Bagerhat Press Club, its General Secretary Talukdar Abul Baki, Ahsanul Karim and Khondokar Akmol Hossin Shaki.
BSS from Khulna adds: Khulna Civil Surgeon office has completed all preparations to immunize over 3.06 lakh children aged between six months to 59 months with Vitamin A plus capsule under the National Vitamin A Plus Campaign on June 17.
Khulna Civil Surgeon office disclosed the information today at an orientation workshop with local journalists at Khulna School Health Clinic to make the National Vitamin A plus Campaign Day-2023 a success.
The campaign will be conducted under the auspices of the Public Health and Nutrition Institute and National Nutrition Services under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with the assistance of the UNICEF.
Chaired by Civil Surgeon Dr Sujat Ahmed, the meeting was addressed, among others, by Chief Health Officer of Khulna City Corporation (KCC) Swapon Kumar Halder, Deputy Civil Surgeon Md Kamal Hossain, Regional officer of PID S M Humayn Kabir, Medical Officer of Civil Surgeon Office Dr Sadia Monwara Usha and District Health Superintendent Jayanta Nath Chakraborty.
Dr Sujat Ahmed said a large number of volunteers and monitoring teams will provide Vitamin A plus Capsules at 1,718 outreach centres in all nine upazilas, including two municipalities and a metropolitan, of the district from 8 am to 4 pm on the day.
“Around 36,667 babies (6-11 months) and 2, 69,137 babies (12-59 months) will be administered with one dose of Vitamin A Plus capsule respectively,” he said.
“Special measures will be taken to feed vitamin A capsules to under-five
babies at bus stands, rail stations and other places to make the campaign a complete success in the district,” he added.