Srinagar, Jun 30: Carrying vaccine carriers and medical supplies on their backs, a team of health workers trekked nearly 38 kilometres through the rugged mountains of Jammu and Kashmir’s remote Gurez valley, walking for almost 10 hours to reach an isolated alpine meadow where nomadic children awaited life-saving polio drops.
The arduous journey was undertaken as part of the ongoing National Pulse Polio Immunisation campaign to ensure that no child, no matter how remote, was left out.
The team travelled on foot from Dawar to Patalwan, a high-altitude alpine meadow and lake on the eastern side of Gurez in Bandipora district, where several nomadic families are currently living in seasonal settlements. The round trip covered nearly 38 kilometres, with the health workers forced to spend the night in the meadow before making the return journey the following day.
The team comprised health workers Bashir Ahmad Teroo and Shams Din Nasir, along with ASHA worker Rubina, who carried vaccines and essential medicines across steep mountain trails and difficult terrain to reach the isolated community.
“We started early in the morning from Dawar and walked continuously for around 10 hours to reach Patalwan. The terrain was extremely challenging, with long uphill stretches, but we knew children there were waiting for us,” Teroo said.
Apart from administering pulse polio drops to around 30 children, the team also organised a medical camp for the nomadic families living in the alpine pasture.
“Our Block Medical Officer instructed us not only to complete the immunisation drive but also to conduct a medical camp so that families living in these remote meadows could receive basic healthcare. We examined patients, distributed medicines and treated common ailments,” he said.
For Teroo, the expedition reflected the unseen side of public healthcare.
“Administering polio drops in a town takes only a few minutes. But in places like these, every dose comes after hours of trekking through mountains. This is the real challenge of public health ensuring that no child is left behind because of geography,” he said.
Despite the physical exhaustion, the team remained determined to complete the mission.
“It was one of the toughest journeys we have undertaken. Returning the same day was impossible, so we stayed overnight. But when we saw the children receiving the vaccine, every hardship seemed worthwhile,” he added.
ASHA worker Rubina said reaching the last person, regardless of the distance, remains central to their work.
“These families spend months in high-altitude pastures where access to healthcare is extremely limited. If we don’t reach them, many children could miss essential immunisation. That is simply not an option for us,” she said.
For the nomadic families, the arrival of the health team was both unexpected and reassuring.
Mohammad Kaleem, a nomad staying in Patalwan with his family, said he had never imagined health workers would undertake such a demanding journey solely to ensure their children were vaccinated.
“We never expected a health team to walk such a long distance just to reach us. They brought medicines, vaccinated our children and checked our health. We are deeply grateful for their dedication,” he said.
Calling the team the ‘real heroes’ of the health department, Kaleem said such commitment deserved official recognition.
“They left the comfort of their homes and crossed mountains to serve people living in remote areas. Their dedication should be appreciated by the government,” he added.
Block Medical Officer Gurez, Dr Feroz Iqbal lauded the efforts of the team, saying their commitment ensured that every eligible child in the remote nomadic settlements was covered under the immunisation campaign.
“Our health workers displayed exceptional courage and dedication. They stayed away from their families, trekked through difficult terrain and ensured that every nomadic child received the polio vaccine. Such public health initiatives would not be possible without their commitment,” he said.
