October 21, 2020: Aiming at reducing the COVID-19 threat, the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC), along with National Health Mission (NHM), organised a massive check-up drive for its workers on Tuesday.

Hundreds of vulnerable frontline workers, mainly engaged with keeping the city clean, were immunised against tetanus, typhoid and hepatitis as well as screened for non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension and obesity.

They have also been provided with health cards, said AMC Commissioner Dr Siddharth Shiv Jaiswal.

"This section of workers, due to their nature of job, is more vulnerable. They are also engaged in COVID duties. So a special campaign for their immunisation at their doorsteps has been arranged," said Dr Jaiswal who is also the Mission Director of NHM.

He added that with the immunisation, antibody test against COVID-19 was also done simultaneously.

Medical officer Dr Arpita Sinha said that keeping in mind that comorbidity could be more dangerous if affected with COVID, especially among this section of people, these special health camps were being organised. "Hence, two vaccines are being administered among the door-to-door garbage cleaning workers of the AMC, besides health check-up for non-communicable disease profile."

The AMC workers have thanked the organisers for the initiative.

Babul Das, who is engaged with garbage collection since 1995, said that he participated in such a camp for the first time in his career. "Every moment, there is life risk in my job; not only for me, but my family members as well. The risk factor has increased several folds during the ongoing pandemic. So the immunisation camp is of great benefit," he said.

Another worker Anil Chandra Sarkar appreciated the camp, during which he has been immunised against two life-taking diseases and got a health card.

The AMC workers also got free health check-ups, besides soap, sanitisers, masks and other safety gear.