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“Need for leveraging religious places for vaccination drive stress Chilkur Priest”
Hyderabad/Chandigarh, July 15, 2021:
Chilkur Balaji Temple, organized a vaccination drive for the staff and their families today at the temple goushala. Over 50 staff and their families were administered Covishield vaccine. The Vaccination camp started at 9am and closed around 1pm.
The vaccination drive was coordinated by Pavan Kumar and supported by NGO, Helping Hand Foundation & Nirmala Hospitals. A team of doctors, nurses, counselor from HHF & Nirmala hospitals was deployed to oversee the vaccination drive.
The temple staff mainly consisted of goushala workers; sanitation staff engaged in maintenance of the temple premises & priest. The doctors checked the vitals and did counselling of staff getting vaccinated to help them understand the side effects if any and need for taking basic medicine if fever or body pains develop.
Shri. C. S. Rangarajan, Pradhana Arachak at Chilkur Balaji temple, said the all-religious institutions must promote vaccination and the best way to achieve this to get the workers vaccinated within the premises. Conducting the vaccination camp on site helped us vaccinate most vulnerable groups, as temple staff are also front-line workers like any other public servant engaged in discharging public duties.
Thanking NGO, Helping Hand Foundation, which has been working on various interfaith projects with the temple – Rangarajan said, that with the lock down easing and people thronging religious places all religious place be it mosque, church, gurdwara must facilitate vaccination at their respective places.
Vaccine hesitancy is prevalent in lower income groups due to misconceptions and religious place can act like catalyst in not only getting vulnerable groups vaccinate but will also build confidence level at the community level for greater participation in the vaccine drive which is so critical for battling the pandemic said Mr. Mujtaba Hasan Askari of Helping Hand Foundation.
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