CHITWAN, JANUARY 13
The Chepangs of the district are refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 even though the risk of a third wave of the pandemic is high. It was found that the people of this minority community were not interested in vaccination.
The Chepangs live in six out of the seven local levels in Chitwan district. They live in Icchyakamana Rural Municipality, Kalika, Rapti, Khairahani and Madi municipalities and Bharatpur Sub-Metropolitan City.
The population of Chepangs in these municipalities was 28,989 as per the 2011 Census. Of this population, so far 6,327 people or 21.82 percent have been vaccinated.
Chief of Rapti Municipality Health Section Suresh Neupane said since the Chepangs mostly live in remote parts and hilly regions of the district and are reluctant to travel to vaccination centres. Neupane said the Chepang community people are also not aware that they need to be vaccinated to keep themselves safe from the pandemic. "They are just not interested in getting vaccinated.
They say - what's the use of vaccination?"
Chief of Icchyakamana Rural Municipality Health Section, Basudev Sapkota, said the number of Chepang population coming for vaccination will increase now that the vaccination has been rolled out according to the age groups.
Bharatpur Metropolitan City Health Section Chief Deepak Subedi said there is a small population of Chepangs in the metropolis. He said many Chepangs living in Ratomate, Chipleti and Kipat areas have not come for vaccination.
"They are not turning up for the vaccination even though vaccination camps have been set up in their settlements," he complained.
In the view of Madi Municipality Health Section Chief Bhoj Raj Khanal, lack of information about vaccination among the Chepang community who are scattered over large and remote parts is one of the reasons for their reluctance to get vaccinated.
Govinda Chepang, former central president of Chepang Association, said the participation of Chepang community is very low at the vaccination programme. "Only few people from this community have come for the jab also because of wrong publicity regarding the vaccines - such as the vaccines affect the reproductive health." He stressed the need to prepare publicity materials about the vaccination in the Chepang language.
As per the National Population Census 2011, the population of Chepangs across the country is 68,399. Chepangs are predominantly settled in Chitwan, Makawanpur, Dhading, Gorkha, Lamjung, and Tanahun districts.
Chepang Association Chitwan President Bhim Bahadur Chepang reasoned that Chepangs are not coming in large numbers for vaccination as they live in remote hills. He said only those living near the vaccination centres have been turning up for the shot.
Chepang urged effective publicity campaign about the vaccination.
Chief of the Health Office Chitwan, Deepak Tiwari, said the problem was because of the various 'negative propaganda' spread against coronavirus infection. He speculated that the number of Chepangs coming for vaccination was low also because the Chepang community was not directly in contact with urban life.
Saying that only the District Health Office had managed the vaccination, he urged the local governments to intensify publicity campaign to make it more effective so that the maximum population is convinced and come for the vaccination.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 14, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
