THE ST. MARY Health Services has commenced interventions in order to boost its low immunisation coverage.
Dr. Isaac Brown, parish manager for the St. Mary Health Services, told JIS News recently that immunisation coverage was a pressing problem in the parish, with statistics indicating that only 65 per cent of children were immunised.
BOOST COVERAGE
He said that since April, which has been designated Health Month, four immunisation teams have been visiting communities to boost coverage.
"We want the figure to improve significantly; that is why we are on this campaign going into the various areas. In fact, we want the figure to be over 80 per cent," Dr. Brown said.
Commenting on the factors contributing to the low immunisation coverage in the parish, Dr. Brown said that there were persons living in deep rural areas who found it difficult to go out to clinics, even though health aides visited communities from time to time.
He noted further that limited staff compounded the problem.
"Our public health nurses, who are instrumental in immunising our children, are woefully short," he stated.
MAINTAINING STATISTICS
Dr. Brown said that there was also a challenge in tracking the movement of children in and out of the parish, and this affected the immunisation statistics.
"What is happening is that sometimes children are being born in other parishes and not immunised there and they come to live in the parish. There are others born in St. Mary, then they go to other parishes and are immunised."
"Either way, these situations are not captured in the statistics given to the Health Ministry, who set our target population in terms of immunisation coverage," he explained.
HEALTH MONTH ACTIVITIES
Meanwhile, as the St. Mary Health Services continues to celebrate Health Month, under the theme, 'A Healthy Family The Way to Go', a number of activities remain on the calendar.
On April 28, a visiting team of doctors will accompany health officials to the Richmond Adult Correctional Centre to conduct health checks on inmates. Health promotion and health education will be provided.
The annual dinner at the Jamaica Beach Resort will be on April 30 starting at 6:30 p.m.
