Drive for special needs’ kids in city

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Manipal Hospitals organized an exclusive vaccination drive for children with special needs in the age group of 15-18 years today, across all its centres in Bengaluru. The vaccination drive was conducted with the support of Samarthanam Trust for Disabled, Asha Kiran Special Needs School, and a few NGOs. Some 100 children with special needs received their vaccination across the centres. The vaccination drive took place at Manipal Hospital Old Airport Road, Sarjapur, Varthur, Yeshwanthpur, Whitefield, and Hebbal.

Omicron, the new contagious variant of the COVID-19 virus, is putting children at risk of infection. Special needs’ children are even more vulnerable to health complications and recognising this challenge, Manipal Hospital decided to provide them with quick and early access to the first vaccination. and special needs children at increased risk of health complications.

The vaccination drive was successful, with the hospital following the guidelines provided by the state government. It took place at the dedicated paediatrics zone within the hospital, which was manned by vaccine officers, nurses and doctors, as per the government mandates.

That’s not all. Children of some hospital employees came forward with their piggy banks, offering their own savings to support the children who need it. “ We believe in providing accessible healthcare to all and were delighted to launch a vaccination drive for special needs’ children on Monday,” said Karthik Rajagopal, COO, Manipal Hospitals. “Manipal Hospitals has provided exclusive slots to ensure the process was smooth for the children. The initiative can be a source of support for the parents and caretakers of these kids and ease their stress during the pandemic. We would also like to thank the Samarthanam Trust for Disabled and Asha Kiran Special Needs School for participating, Rajagopal added.

“I am grateful to Manipal Hospitals for this initiative. The children found themselves comfortable as the doctors and nurses were generous and guided them through the process. We all encountered an extremely difficult situation during the second wave of Covid-19. For children, it was worse. So, to get children vaccinated and provide protection against Covid-19 has been extremely important,” said Dr. Rita James, Founder and Director, Asha Kiran Special Needs School, Horamavu.