Immunization Programme - Uttarakhand

What is the Immunization Programme in Uttarakhand?

Immunization Programme in Uttarakhand is the state's delivery of the national Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), run by the Department of Medical Health and Family Welfare through the National Health Mission. Immunization Programme gives free vaccines to every child from birth up to 16 years and to pregnant women, protecting them against more than 11 vaccine-preventable diseases. It is one of the largest public health activities in the state and reaches families in both the plains districts and the remote hill blocks of Garhwal and Kumaon.

According to the National Health Mission Uttarakhand, the programme delivers vaccines against BCG (childhood tuberculosis), oral polio (OPV), Hepatitis B, Pentavalent, Rotavirus (RVV), fractional IPV, Measles-Rubella (MR), DPT, Japanese Encephalitis (JE), Td and PCV (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine). Every one of these is provided free of cost at a government facility. No family is charged for the vaccine, the syringe or the session.

Main features

• Vaccines are 100% free at all government health facilities in Uttarakhand.
• Beneficiaries are children from birth to 16 years and pregnant women.
• Records are kept on the Mother and Child Protection (MCP) card and on the U-WIN digital register, which sends due-date reminders by SMS.
• Vaccine stock across the cold chain is tracked through the eVIN system to prevent shortages, and Uttarakhand kept sessions running even during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Who is eligible for the Immunization Programme?

You can get free immunization if:

• The beneficiary is a child from birth up to 16 years of age. The heaviest schedule is for infants under one year, but older children remain covered for booster and catch-up doses.
• The beneficiary is a pregnant woman needing Td protection during pregnancy.
• The family lives in Uttarakhand, whether in an urban ward or a remote hill hamlet. Migrant and construction-worker families are also covered at the local session.

You cannot be denied vaccination because:

• You do not have an Aadhaar card, a mobile number or a U-WIN registration. These help create the digital record but are never a condition for vaccinating a child.
• You missed an earlier dose. The child is not turned away and the schedule is simply resumed.

There is no income limit, no caste condition and no application form for the Immunization Programme. It is a universal public health entitlement, so a family that can afford private care is still free to use the government session at no charge.

Who is not eligible for the free vaccine, and what is excluded

• Optional or travel vaccines outside the Universal Immunization Programme schedule, for example influenza, chickenpox, HPV in most districts, or imported combination shots — are not eligible for free provision at a government session; a family wanting these must pay privately.
• Adults beyond the schedule (other than pregnant women needing Td) cannot apply for free routine vaccines at a childhood-immunization session, because the programme is built around children up to 16 years and expectant mothers.

Within its own scope, though, the Immunization Programme excludes nobody: no child in Uttarakhand is turned away from a scheduled UIP vaccine for reasons of income, caste, religion, migration status or missing paperwork.

What does the immunization schedule cover?

The national schedule followed in Uttarakhand vaccinates a child at set ages:

• At birth: BCG, the birth dose of OPV and Hepatitis B.
• At 6, 10 and 14 weeks: Pentavalent, OPV, Rotavirus vaccine and fractional IPV; PCV is given at 6 and 14 weeks with a booster later.
• At 9-12 months: the first dose of Measles-Rubella and JE (in endemic districts), with PCV booster.
• At 16-24 months: the second dose of Measles-Rubella, DPT booster, OPV booster and JE second dose.
• At 5-6 years and 10 and 16 years: DPT and Td boosters.

Pregnant women receive Td doses during antenatal care. The exact dose for your child is printed on the Mother and Child Protection card, so carrying that card to every session is the single most useful thing a parent can do.

How to apply for and get your child vaccinated under the programme

There is no paper application, but the practical steps to access the free vaccine run in a clear sequence:

1. Find your nearest session. Ask your ASHA worker, ANM or the nearest sub-centre, primary health centre (PHC), community health centre (CHC) or district hospital. Fixed sessions usually run on Wednesdays and outreach Village Health and Nutrition Day sessions on Saturdays.
2. Register the beneficiary. At first contact the health worker opens a Mother and Child Protection card and registers the child or pregnant woman on U-WIN using a mobile number, so future due dates arrive by SMS.
3. Attend the session and get the due dose. The ANM checks the card, gives the dose scheduled for that age, and records it on the card and in U-WIN.
4. Note the next due date printed on the card and return on that day. If you miss it, attend the next session to catch up.

How to use U-WIN for records and reminders

U-WIN is the digital counterpart of the paper immunization card. Once a beneficiary is registered, U-WIN stores the full vaccination history, works across states so a family that moves can continue the schedule, and sends reminders before each due date. Parents can hold a digital immunization certificate after each dose. Registration is done by the health worker at the session; families do not need to build the record themselves, but keeping the registered mobile number active ensures the reminders keep coming.

What are the common problems and how are they fixed?

• Session missed or postponed: hill weather and staff movement can shift a session. Contact the ASHA or ANM for the rescheduled date; the dose is given late without restarting the schedule.
• Vaccine reported unavailable: Uttarakhand tracks stock through eVIN, so a gap is usually filled by the next session. Report a repeated shortage to the PHC medical officer.
• Lost immunization card: the health worker can reprint the schedule from the U-WIN record if the beneficiary was registered.
• Family moved districts: because U-WIN is a national register, the record follows the child; give the new ANM the registered mobile number.

Key facts about the programme

• Immunization Programme in Uttarakhand is delivered under the Universal Immunization Programme of the Government of India through the National Health Mission.
• All vaccines in the schedule are free at government facilities.
• Sessions run every week through the year, so there is no last date to apply.
• The cold chain is monitored electronically through eVIN, and immunization continued even through the pandemic lockdown.

Which diseases does the programme protect against?

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Universal Immunization Programme delivered in Uttarakhand protects free of cost against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases: diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, polio, measles, rubella, the severe childhood form of tuberculosis, rotavirus diarrhoea, hepatitis B, meningitis and pneumonia caused by Haemophilus influenzae type b, and pneumococcal pneumonia. Japanese encephalitis vaccine is added in endemic districts of the state. Each of these diseases can kill or disable a young child, and the schedule is timed so that a child is protected before the age at which they are most at risk.

Uttarakhand is part of the national roll-out of U-WIN, the digital immunization register, and uses the eVIN electronic vaccine intelligence network to keep the cold chain stocked from state store down to the sub-centre ice-lined refrigerator. Together these systems mean a family that moves between districts, or from the hills to the plains for seasonal work, keeps a single continuous vaccination record.

Help and grievance redressal

• Health helpline: dial 104 for immunization queries, session timings and complaints.
• Local contacts: your ASHA worker, ANM, and the medical officer at the nearest PHC or CHC.
• State portal: the National Health Mission Uttarakhand routine immunization page at nhm.uk.gov.in carries programme details and contact information.

Immunization is free and universal in Uttarakhand. No worker or agent may charge a family for a vaccine that is part of the national schedule, and no child should be turned away for lack of a document.