The geographical jurisdiction of the Diamond Harbour Health District (DHHD) includes the Diamond Harbour (DH) and Kakdwip sub-divisions of the South 24 Parganas. The health district’s population is dispersed across 13 blocks (9 under Diamond Harbour and 4 under Kakdwip), 6 of which are in Sundarbans deltas.
In addition to the dispersed population throughout this riverine health district, the DHHD’s unique geographical location posed a significant challenge for immunization—both Routine Immunization (RI) and COVID vaccination—particularly in the 6 Sunderbans blocks. Local transportation, frequent storms and cyclones, and other factors make it difficult to manage the supply chain effectively, which frequently results in vaccine waste. While storms and cyclones evict residents, the delta’s rivers and tributaries impede the timely delivery of vaccines from the District Vaccine Store to the cold chain points (CCP) of block primary health centers (BPHC) and sub-centers (DVS). Vaccines must be removed from the respective CCPs’ Ice Lined Refrigerators (ILR) and returned to the DVS when cyclones cause flooding in the BPHCs and sub-centres. Vaccines are frequently transported for several hours in small passenger boats through high tides and rough seas, especially during the monsoon season.
DHHD required enough vaccine storage space at DVS for an efficient supply chain mechanism to ensure that no vaccines were wasted and that every child in the mangrove delta received the vaccines they required. To assist the health district in overcoming these challenges, UNICEF procured and installed a WIC at the DVS under DHHD with the support of the Japanese government. The WIC benefits the health district in three ways: first, with adequate storage, it allows for “planned distribution of vaccines,” resulting in less vaccine waste. Second, vaccine efficacy will be preserved because there will be no shortage of space or haste in distribution. Finally, the WIC allows the health district to become self-sufficient in vaccine management, ensuring an efficient and functional supply chain for last-mile vaccine delivery.
