Health teams trek mountainous areas of Gurez to vaccinate inhabitants of remotest villages

Bandipora: When we think of Gurez, the sight of mighty snowcapped mountains and picturesque valleys comes to life. This hilly terrain and scattered habitations, however pose a challenge to the Healthcare workers who are putting in everything to fight the ongoing pandemic.
The teams working with missionary zeal are pushing the limits, walking through tough terrains, crossing Kishenganga River, trekking into the mountains, deep into the remotest villages of Gurez at about 2,400 metres above sea level, to ensure that not a single person is left behind and everyone gets vaccinated.
Few days back, top official of the J&K’s Health department, Financial Commissioner of Health and Medical Education, Atal Dulloo had stated that the vaccination is one of the key components of the 5-pronged strategy in J&K and the vaccination for people above 45 years is going on at a fast pace, way above the national average.
Working together to get the people vaccinated at a faster rate in the remotest corners of the UT, the Healthcare teams of Bandipora district are doing an exceptional team work to complete such uphill task in remote areas such as Gurez. “It is only because of their commendable work that we are nearing 100 % saturation of first Covid vaccine dose in above 45 age group population in Gurez valley”, said Dr. Bashir Ahmed, Chief Medical Officer, Bandipora.
Local residents have acknowledged the efforts of Health workers who are carrying out door-to-door vaccination campaign by reaching out to the scattered habitations living in the far off mountainous valley of Gurez, 85 km from Bandipora district headquarters.
“Government didn’t leave us on the mercy of God in this health crisis. Their Corona Warriors reached to us with medical kits in their hands and unfettered courage in their hearts to save our lives while risking their own”, said an inhabitant of Kilshay village.
As they say – When the going gets tough, the tough get going. It’s because of the strong will, determination and undeterred commitment of the health workers like Mohd Sarwar Lone and Basher Ahmed that the people living in remotest villages of Kilshay, Jurniyal and other villages near LoC with less or no connectivity got their first jab of vaccination.
“We cannot sit back and relax. We have a huge responsibility on our shoulders. If people are reluctant to visit us for any reason, we must reach out to them despite of any challenging situation”, said one of the health workers.
Not just Gurez, videos and pictures of Health teams are emerging every day, showing us the commitment of Health workers, who are going above and beyond their duties to save lives across J&K.