A nurse administers the vaccine to residents on roof of the longhouse verandah on the upper floor.
MIRI (July 19): A team from the Ministry of Health (MOH) stationed at the Long Panai, vaccination centre (PPV) in Baram went the extra mile to administer the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to longhouse residents homebound by flooding.
Yesterday, Long Panai PPV assistant medical officer Jackson Ramawi and five other MOH staff took the initiative to ensure flooding did not prevent villagers from receiving their second dose.
The medical staff had to climb a ladder from the longboat they travelled on to get onto the roof of the verandah on the upper floor of the two-storey longhouse to vaccinate residents, as the ground floor was inundated.
For elderly residents who were unable to climb onto the roof, the team vaccinated them through the window of individual units on the upper floor of the longhouse.
“A total 149 villagers and six elderly persons completed their second dose today (yesterday) despite the flood situation.
“They were inoculated at their respective homes and that the operation went smoothly in accordance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set out by the MOH and the National Security Council,” said Jackson.
Long Panai, a Kayan longhouse situated in a flood-prone low-lying area, has been hit by heavy flooding since last Monday, inundating part of the ground floor of the two-storey longhouse.
Flood water was reported to have begun subsiding yesterday morning.