Health workers have successfully concluded a four-day special vaccination drive in Boloi Mro Para a highly remote village near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Bandarban's Alikadam upazila.
Running from Monday to Thursday the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) campaign provided vital healthcare to 151 women and children from the indigenous Mro community.
Organized by the Alikadam Upazila Health Complex in collaboration with the NGO 'Green Hill' an eight-member medical team undertook a grueling journey to reach the isolated settlement. Md. Obaidul, a Medical Technologist with the Upazila Health Department noted that while the army previously delivered medical aid to the village via helicopter and this team traveled nearly 100 kilometers by vehicle and motorized boat, followed by a demanding five-and-a-half-hour trek across rugged hills.
Led by health worker Chontoni Chakma, the team administered vaccines against severe diseases including tuberculosis, polio and measles-rubella. They also conducted malaria screenings, provided maternal care to pregnant women and offered health awareness counseling.
The local village head (Karbari) expressed deep gratitude for the medical intervention also highlighting the community's vulnerability to waterborne diseases like dysentery and diarrhea when mountain streams dry up.
Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr. Mohammad Hanif commended the team's dedication. "This special crash program aims to ensure 100 percent vaccination coverage for women and children in the hill tracts who often miss out on regular healthcare due to geographical barriers" he said also pledging continued efforts to bring basic medical services to the region's most inaccessible areas.
