Govt health centres limit inoculations due to low vaccine availability

Even as private hospitals shut vaccination centres due to lack of vaccines, the government health centres are inoculating only a limited number of people due to the low availability of vaccines

Even as private hospitals shut vaccination centres due to lack of vaccines, the government health centres are inoculating only a limited number of people due to the low availability of vaccines.

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At nearly 30 primary health centres (PHCs) in urban and rural areas, many people were asked to return on Tuesday and book fresh slots. The district administration also issued a statement that government health facilities will not conduct vaccinations at private workplaces or residential areas.

“For the second dose inoculations, the department received 13,000 doses on Monday night. It will be distributed to 30 vaccination centres in the district,” said Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer.

Puneet Goyal, a resident of Sector 69, said that he had booked a vaccination slot at Mullahera PHC for Tuesday between 9am and 11am. “I reached the site at 8.45am and the centre was filled with residents by 9.30am. However, there was no sight of any PHC staff, not even a single person to ensure social distancing was being followed. The staff started arriving after 10.15am and announced they will vaccinate only 45 people who are due to get their second dose. It was a surprise for 99% of the people who had come for their first shot,” said Goyal.

He said that more than 100 people returned without getting their jabs, including some who had to take their second dose.

Another resident, Rajesh Kumar who waited for more than two hours, left the site without getting vaccinated. “The vaccine stock was over, and we were told to book an appointment for another day. We had to return without vaccination after wasting three hours and exposing ourselves to the Covid-19 risk. The state of PHC is not in a good state. The staff is not well trained and is short-tempered. No one was ready to provide the right information despite repeated attempts,” said Kumar.

Many people who visited the Sector 31 polyclinic alleged similar concerns and said they returned due to large crowds and low vaccine availability.

Currently, the health department is focussing on inoculating beneficiaries who have to take the second jab, with almost 12,000 vaccine doses in stock. At 30 sites, roughly about 100 inoculations each take place. Since many private hospitals ceased the vaccination drive due to the unavailability of vaccine dosages, people are turning up at government health centres to take their second dose.

Gurpreet Singh, president, Resident Welfare Association (RWA), Ridgewood Estate, said, “Getting the prioritised population group, those above 45 years, vaccinated has become a challenge. Over 30 elderly people could manage to get their second dose at the nearby urban primary health centre. Earlier, many residents of the society received their first dose during a vaccination drive held within the condominium premises. Ideally, the drive for the second shot should have also been held within the society, especially when the coronavirus infection is widely spread. We have approached authorities to hold a vaccination camp but there has been no response.”

Vaccination drives have been restricted by government PHCs at present. To hold such vaccination camps, RWAs and private companies will have to approach private hospitals, said officials.