Anganwadi workers refuse Covid-19 vaccination, target gets harder for health dept

Anganwadi teachers and helpers are refusing to take the vaccination shots, due to which the targets set for vaccinating frontline workers is becoming harder to achieve.

Each Anganwadi centre has a teacher and a helper, who make up half of the target beneficiaries. If, for instance, each anganwadi teacher and helper in Bangalore Rural come forward to get the shot, they would take the district’s flagging vaccination target from 43% to above 80%.

The health department has urged the intervention of the women and child development department, under which the anganwadi workers function.

“Anganwadi teachers are more hesitant than the health department workers in taking the vaccine,” Dr Sharmila Hede, Reproductive and Child Health Officer, Bangalore Rural, told DH.

“When the anganwadi teacher doesn’t take the vaccine, neither does the helper. We are missing two beneficiaries for every anganwadi centre. In all, we have 1,230 centres and as many as 2,460 beneficiaries are missing. If they get vaccinated, we can achieve coverage of more than 80%,” she added.

Dr Sharmila said they have escalated the issue to the health department’s immunisation wing and the state National Health Mission.

“If the officials in the women and child development department, like directors and deputy directors, take the vaccine, anganwadi workers will come forward to take it.”

Dr Rajani Nageshrao, Deputy Director (Immunisation) at the state health department, said the issue has been raised from the department’s ACS (health secretary) level to the women and child development department. “We also informed them during one of their training sessions to address vaccine hesitancy. Districts are also bringing this to the notice of deputy commissioners,” Dr Rajani said.

Workers’ union upset

Sunanda H S, general secretary, Anganwadi Workers Union that represents 1,25,000 anganwadi teachers and helpers, told DH that the union will not persuade the members to take the vaccine. “Why are grassroots workers being asked to get experimental vaccines?” Sunanda asked.

“The day ministers of various departments get the shot, people will line up to get vaccinated. Elected representatives should get the vaccine first. That is our demand, and they should serve as an example,” she added.

Anganwadi workers vaccinated so far are experiencing fever and injection site pain. They are resting for a week or 10 days, said the union leader.

“Many of our anganwadi workers have co-morbidities like diabetes, blood pressure or have heart ailments,” she said. “How do we convince them? We have told the department officials that vaccination cannot be made compulsory.”