Peer-reviewed article
Gaps in Institutional Services and Universal Immunization Programme: Experience from a Tribal Community in India
Sonali Panda, Bangshi Raj Mahata, Arun Kumar Acharya ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This mixed-methods study looked at how many tribal children in India had received their vaccinations and how families experienced immunization services. Immunization status was checked using mother and child protection cards, and interviews and focus group discussions were used to hear community views. Only 13.3% of children were fully immunized and 86.7% were partially immunized. The authors conclude that the gap reflects weaknesses in how services are organised and delivered, not only a lack of awareness or willingness to vaccinate.
Key points
- Only 13.3% of the children were fully immunized.
- 86.7% of the children were partially immunized.
- Participants gave lack of awareness, lack of interest, fear of side effects and reliance on cultural practices and beliefs as reasons for incomplete vaccination.
- The authors say the immunization gap reflects a broader structural and organizational gap in service delivery.
- Accessibility, continuity, organisation and responsiveness of services, within the socioeconomic and cultural context of tribal households, are described as critical determinants of effective immunization.
Limitations
The abstract does not give the sample size, the specific tribal community or location, or how participants were selected, so it is hard to judge how far the findings apply elsewhere. It describes coverage and experiences rather than testing an intervention, so it cannot show what would improve immunization.
Abstract
Background: Universal immunization programme (UIP) is widely recognised as one of the most effective, equitable and cost-effective public health intervention. In India UIP have cover 26 million infants and 29 million pregnant women through more than 13 million immunization sessions annually. However, tribal communities continue to face barriers to accessing institutional healthcare services, including financial, geographical, socio-cultural, and systematic barriers. Inadequate infrastructure, shortage of trained healthcare personnel, irregular outreach services and poor transportation networks are the problems and existing challenges faced by tribal communities in accessing health care from primary health care settings. This study aimed to access immunization coverage among tribal children and explores community experiences of institutional health services related to immunization. A mixed method approach incorporating quantitative and qualitative methods was adopted. Quantitative data were collected to access immunization status among children review of their mother and child protection (MCP) card. While qualitative data were obtained through in-depth interview and focus group discussion. Results indicates that only 13.3% children were fully immunized, where as 86.7% were partially immunized. Participants attributed incomplete vaccination to lack of awareness, lack of interest, fear of side effects and reliance on cultural practices and beliefs. The present study demonstrates that the immunization gap among the tribal communities is not merely a consequence of inadequate awareness or vaccine acceptance, but reflects a broader structural and organizational gap in delivery immunization services. Accessibility, continuity, organisation and responsiveness of institutional services, operating with the socioeconomic and cultural context of tribal households are critical determinants of effective immunization.