Rough ride to vaccinate folks in interior Ranau

RANAU: Transporting a supply of Covid-19 vaccine on rock-strewn laterite road through a jagged mountainous terrain, which is only accessible via four-wheel-drive vehicles and surrounded by thick jungle, is not something for the faint-hearted.

However, a Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) team from the Ranau Health Office, together with the Ranau 4WD Club, were determined to undertake the challenging 40km journey for over three hours to ensure residents in the interior of Ranau district were not left out of the vaccination exercise.

Ranau District Health Officer Dr Fionna Vincent Bizini (pic) said she and her team left as early as 6am in nine 4WD vehicles from the Ranau Mother and Child Health Clinic to the vaccination destination, Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Kawiyan.

“It wasn’t easy to get to this place as we had to travel on a rocky dirt track for quite a distance which was a challenge for the health personnel in providing the vaccination service.

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“Hopefully, it won’t rain after this. Otherwise, the track will even be more difficult for us.

“Although this place is far in the interior, it does not deter us from carrying out the Covid-19 Vaccination Outreach Programme to ensure that people in this area also receive the vaccine,” she said.

Dr Fionna was met at the vaccination programme at SK Kawiyan with Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam also present.

Ranau is located about 108km east of Kota Kinabalu and is renowned as a “house” to Mount Kinabalu, with a population of over 100,000, mostly from the Dusun ethnic group.

Some of the Kg Kawiyan villagers who turned up for the vaccination at SK Kawiyan.

Dr Fionna said 150 doses of the vaccine were administered due to the encouraging response from the residents and the programme was scheduled to be continued in the interior areas of Kaingaran and Paginatan early this month.

“I understand that the locations are also far away and we require the assistance of the four-wheel-drive club to reach the destinations. “But whatever the challenges forthcoming, we will go ahead to ensure our people are protected from Covid-19,” she said.

Kampung Paka, Ulu Sugut resident Julina Gandalau, 50, said she had yet to register for vaccination but was thankful as the Government, specifically the Ministry of Health (MOH), was willing to come to the interior areas to hold vaccination programmes.

“It would take a long time if we were to register and wait to be called. So, I did not pass up on the opportunity to come here to get the vaccine injection to protect myself from Covid-19,” she said after receiving her first dose.

Another resident of the village, Amirul Asanboh, 33, said he attended the programme after obtaining information from the public.

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“It is very good that they hold the programme here as it is easy for the interior people to attend. Otherwise, we would have to go with others and pay the fare if they do it in (Ranau) town.

“Not all villagers have four-wheel-drive vehicles to take the long journey from this village to Ranau town over an awfully bad road which will stretch the journey to many hours,” he added.

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