The district health administration and Rangpur City Corporation (RCC) authority have completed preparations to administer Vitamin A Plus Capsules to 4.67 lakh under five year age group babies here tomorrow (Saturday).
The information was disclosed at a press conference arranged at RCC conference room and a ‘Journalist Orientation Meeting’ at the conference room of the Civil Surgeon on Thursday.
The press conference and ‘Journalist Orientation Meeting’ were arranged separately with a view to make the Vitamin A Plus Campaign 5 April 2014 successful in the district.
The campaign is being conducted under the auspices of the Public Health and Nutrition Institute under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and assistance of the UNICEF here as elsewhere in the country.
RCC Panel Mayor Abul Kashem addressed the press conference in presence of Chief Executive Officer of RCC Ruhul Amin Khan, Civil Surgeon Dr Reajul Islam, Deputy Civil Surgeon Dr Mozammel Haque, RCC Secretary Fazlul Kabir, Sadar Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Shamsul Haque and RCC Health Officer Abdul Kaiyum.
The RCC Panel Mayor said 36 supervisors and 792 volunteers will provide Vitamin A Plus Capsules at 279 outreach centres including 264 permanent and 15 satellite centres in all 33 wards of the RCC area from 8am to 4pm on Saturday.
A total of 18,000 babies aged between 6 and 11 months and 1,05,800 others between 12 and 59 months will be administered with Vitamin A Plus Blue Capsules and Vitamin A Red Capsules respectively.
On the other hand, Civil Surgeon Dr Reajul Islam in the ‘Journalist Orientation Meeting’ said 3,43,959 babies of the 6-59 month age group will be administered with vitamin A Capsules at 1,835 outreach centres in eight upazilas of the district.
Of them, one dose of one lakh unit Vitamin A Blue Capsules will be administered among 6-11 month 35,658 babies and one dose two lakh unit Vitamin A Red Capsules among another 3,08,301 babies of the 12-59 month age group, he said.
The campaign is aimed at reducing death risks of babies, preventing night blindness, corneal lesions and weight losses, poor growth and anemia from worm infestations to ensure healthy growth of the children, the Civil Surgeon informed the journalists. –BSS, Rangpur
