Bombay HC asks NEGVAC to check possibility of door-to-door vaccination for elderly, disabled

The Bombay high court (HC) has directed The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) to look into the possibility of door-to-door vaccination for those who are above the age of 75 and differently-abled

The Bombay high court (HC) has directed The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) to look into the possibility of door-to-door vaccination for those who are above the age of 75 and differently-abled. The expert committee, under the aegis of the health ministry, is required to submit its report before June 2. The bench further observed that if the NEGVAC comes out with a policy favourable to the select group of citizens, then the same may be implemented immediately without waiting for the high court order.

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A division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice Girish Kulkarni, while hearing the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocates Dhruti Kapadia and Kunal Tiwari, was informed by the counsel for Brihanmumbai Mumbai Corporation (BMC) that as per the directions of the bench on Wednesday it had filed a response. The HC had asked the BMC commissioner to inform it whether the civic body was in a position to conduct door-to-door vaccination for elderly and disabled citizens and if the response was in the affirmative the court would permit it to do so even if the centre did not permit it.

The affidavit filed by Dr Mangala Gomare stated that the civic authority was willing to implement door to door vaccination if the Central government comes out with a policy for the same and issued guidelines to that effect.

Dissatisfied by the response the bench observed, “What was the praise in the newspaper and media for.. publicity? You cannot think for the elderly and bedridden. If you do not have stock, you stop vaccines for all. Why is this selective vaccination going on? Can you discriminate like that?” The latter observation was in light of the petition on issues for booking of vaccination slots on the Co-Win vaccination portal which is also being heard by the bench.

Kapadia, a petitioner-in-person submitted that the village of Behrampur in Odisha had a door to door vaccination policy which was discontinued today morning.

To this, the court noted that the reason for discontinuation of the door-to-door vaccination drive was not because of some Adverse Effects Following Immunization (AEFI) but because the centre did not have a policy.

Suggesting a change in approach for the vaccination drive the court said, “Officers are thoroughly insensitive. Instead of having people rush to the centres, you should chase them for vaccinations. Why can’t this approach be thought of? This is not how you deal with such an important issue. Your officials have disappointed us.”

The bench then noted that as NEGVAC had been constituted in August 2020 specifically for dealing with Covid vaccination directed it to consider the possibility of the door to door Covid vaccination policy for elderly and disabled citizens. The court further directed additional solicitor general Anil Singh for the Union of India and NEGVAC to get instructions from the chairman of NEGVAC and ask him to submit their opinion on the door to door vaccination policy to the court within two weeks.

With regards to the plea to have a separate Co-Win portal for Mumbai in light of complaints of registered patients not getting vaccines though they have been given appointment slots due to walk-in vaccines being administered at centres, the court directed BMC to give preference to online registrants who have confirmed appointments over the on the spot registrants.

They also added that the respondent authorities will make “honest endeavours to ensure that the elderly citizens are not made to wait in long queues and that immediate steps are taken to vaccinate them at the centre”.

The court has posted a hearing of both petition on June 2, 2021, and has asked the authorities to respond to the specific queries raised by them by then.