 "Vaccination")
With the current Covid vaccination drive aimed at covering senior citizens and those with comorbidities gaining pace as more people have started showing confidence in the process after shrugging aside the initial hesitancy, hospitals and civic bodies seek authorisation of more sites. They want vaccination sites delinked from advanced medical facilities.
Mumbai’s civic body, for instance, plans to take vaccination to the doorstep, as it sets an ambitious target of covering 3 million people in the next 30 days. Right now, vaccination centres need to have trained personnel who can identify and take action in case of an anaphylactic shock (allergic reaction).
Maharashtra has already administered over 2 million doses: Mumbai is averaging around 42,000 shots every day. While hospitals appreciate the move to allow 24x7 vaccination, many don’t expect people to show up late in the night for a shot. “It is not an emergency procedure,” said a private hospital owner.
Hospitals say the government needs to authorise more sites and utilise existing capacities better. “A large share of government capacity for Covid vaccination is being under-utilised. Private hospitals are using much more of their vaccination slots,” said Shuchin Bajaj, founder director, Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals.
Doctors are witnessing longer queues outside bigger hospitals. But several smaller hospitals are barely using half of their capacity. “If people stop thronging bigger chains, capacity utilisation will improve,” added Bajaj.
Mumbai-based Hinduja Hospital said it has not wasted a single dose so far. “We are administering doses in multiples of 10 (a Covishield pack has 10 doses) to ensure there is no wastage. If there are even three people left in a queue towards the end of the session, we ask them to come back the next day,” said Joy Chakraborty, chief operating officer, Hinduja Hospital.
Similarly, a hospital chain in South India said it is giving a second shot to its health care workers who were administered the first shot a month ago rather than waste an opened batch.
“We are maintaining a record of all doses administered. There is no scope for any informal vaccination. Every walk-in is first registered on the CoWIN application and then given the jab,” said the managing director of a hospital chain.
Even as authorities attempt to speed up vaccinations, there have been concerns around informal vaccinations, as pointed out by none other than the chief of the National Health Authority R S Sharma.
Private hospitals, which have over 28 per cent share of vaccinations, are being cautious. They are ensuring every dose they have been allotted is accounted for.
On recent complaints that private hospitals are misusing the CoWIN platform, one of the hospitals said it was not a tenable allegation although it may be accurate at some really busy vaccination sites. “Indians are notorious for their star culture. Senior officers, the affluent may seek an out-of-turn vaccination.”
Hospitals are also awaiting upgrades of the CoWIN software that would allow beneficiaries to book specific time slots. This could help reduce crowds at the sites and better manage the inoculation drive.
