How are societies holding Covid vax drives without door-to-door policy, HC asks Centre

The Bombay high court (HC) has sought to know from the Centre as to how some civic corporations were conducting door-to-door vaccination for senior citizens aged above 75, specially-abled and bed-ridden persons without any such policy in place

The Bombay high court (HC) has sought to know from the Centre as to how some civic corporations were conducting door-to-door vaccination for senior citizens aged above 75, specially-abled and bed-ridden persons without any such policy in place. This comes after a petitioner informed the court that various civic authorities, in several states, had successfully implemented the drive, and urged that the Centre should devise a policy for the same.

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Meanwhile, the HC has asked the petitioners seeking setting up of a separate portal for booking vaccination slots in government and civic-run hospital in Mumbai to give their suggestions to the Central government. The court held that as the Supreme Court was seized of the issue, the petitioners’ demand for a booking itinerary and fixed time for booking slots would have to be considered by the Centre based on what the Apex court decides.

The division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice Girish Kulkarni, while hearing the petition seeking a direction to the Centre to put in place a policy for providing home vaccination for those who could not go to vaccination centres, was informed by additional solicitor general Anil Singh for the Union of India that the expert committee set up to deal with vaccination issues would be giving its report in week.

When the bench sought to know how private societies had organised vaccination drives for their members in tie up with private hospitals, petitioner advocate Dhruti Kapadia informed the court that while the Centre and state were awaiting a policy for door-to-door vaccination, some civic authorities such as Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation and a civic body in Ranchi had conducted door-to-door vaccination. Kapadia submitted that as no adverse effects were reported from these places, the Centre should not be hesitant in making such a policy.

After hearing the submissions, the bench directed the petitioner to give the reports, she referred to, to Singh and said, “When private societies can organise vaccination drives for their members, take a further step and go inside the residence of those who cannot come out.”

The bench then asked the Centre to consider the reports furnished by the petitioner and to submit the expert committee report by June 8.

While hearing another public interest litigation (PIL) seeking setting up of separate portal for booking vaccination slots for Mumbai, the bench was informed by advocate Jamsheed Master for petitioner Yogita Vanzara, wife of advocate Rajesh Vanzara, that the CoWIN portal was giving slots for only one day and as there was no fixed time for booking, citizens were facing a problem in getting a slot.

Master also pointed out certain instances wherein people had been given slots at Sir JJ Hospital but when they went there, they were told that vaccines were not available. He added that people had to keep tracking the opening of booking for the 31 vaccination centres which opened and got booked within a few minutes, thus making it difficult for the common man to get a slot.

The advocate for another petitioner also pointed out that while private hospitals had sufficient vaccines available, there was a shortage at government and civic-run hospitals where vaccines were to be administered at subsidised rates or for free.

Additional solicitor general Anil Singh assured the court that the manufacturing of vaccines was being increased and that from July more vaccines would be available. He submitted that a quantity of 55 million Covaxin and 20 million Covishield vaccine doses would be available by then, thus addressing the issue of shortage to a large extent.

The court then observed that as the Apex court was also hearing a petition on similar issues, it would hear the PIL on June 8.