Balancing Cultural Beliefs and Public Health

• 18 Apr 2023

Suppose you’re posted as a District collector. There’s a vaccination drive going on and you’ve been given the charge to supervise the drive. On the last day of the drive, you’ve sent your team to a tribal village for the vaccination. When the team approaches the village, the villagers start showing reluctance for the vaccine as piercing or inserting needles in their body is prohibited as per their beliefs.

The village is located at a very harsh terrain and the weather is unpredictable and rain may begin at any time. Your team informs you about the situation over there. You ask them to talk to their leader to convince his fellowmen to take the vaccination as it is for their well-being. But all the efforts go in vain.

You yourself want to go there to talk to them but weather conditions won’t allow you reach there. Your subordinates suggest you way out to mark the vaccination as completed and nobody would know the reality. It’s the last village and you’ve managed the drive very well.

In this situation what would you do?