Ludhiana’s MD Oswal Hospital resumes vaccination, 5 more pvt ones to follow suit from May 28

First batch of 2,000 Covishield vaccines reaches Mohan Dai Oswal Hospital. The hospital has directly sourced the vaccine from the Serum Institute of India; to cost a beneficiary ₹850

In a relief for vaccine aspirants complaining of huge rush at government session sites, Mohan Dai Oswal hospital resumed Covid-19 vaccinations on Saturday after receiving a fresh stock of 2,000 Covishield doses. The hospital is charging ₹850 from each beneficiary for the two doses.

Private hospitals in the district had to suspend vaccination drives in late April as the administration fell short of its vaccine stock, prompting it to reserve the doses only for government session sites. (Harsimar Pal Singh/HT)

Five other private hospitals, including Dayanand Medical College & Hospital (DMCH), SPS Hospital, Fortis Hospital, Deep Hospital and Verma Multispeciality, are also set to resume vaccinations from May 28 when they are expected to receive fresh stocks from the Serum Institute of India. Mohan Dai Oswal Hospital is to receive 10,000 more doses on the day.

Private hospitals had to suspend vaccination drives in late April as the district administration fell short of its vaccine stock, prompting it to reserve the doses only for government session sites.

This resulted in heavy rush at government-run vaccination sites in the city. The problem compounded when the government began vaccinating the 18 to 44 age group from May 9.

The rush was so overwhelming that the health department was forced to cancel the pre-registration of slots done by residents through the CoWin app.

Inaugurating the vaccination drive at Mohan Dai Oswal hospital on Saturday, deputy commissioner (DC) Varinder Kumar Sharma and police commissioner Rakesh Agrawal urged residents to get vaccinated as soon as possible so that herd immunity is achieved against Covid-19.

The DC said that a fresh batch of 1.12 lakh doses will reach six private hospitals on May 28. Of these, 50,000 doses would reach DMCH, 25,000 will be for SPS Hospital, 10,000 for Fortis Hospital, 10,000 more for Mohan Dai Oswal Hospital, 15,000 for Deep Hospital and 2,000 at Verma Multispeciality hospital. He said residents can get themselves vaccinated at these private hospitals by paying a nominal charge, whereas in government facilities, the jabs are completely free. He said MD Oswal Hospital is charging ₹850 from each beneficiary, whereas at other hospitals, the cost may vary.

He informed that these private hospitals have sourced the vaccine directly from the Serum Institute of India at their own cost. He urged all private hospitals to source this vaccine and if any hospital is interested in book vaccine doses, they can contact Sandeep Kumar, ADC, development, Ludhiana.

Police commissioner Rakesh Agrawal said the district administration plans to vaccinate each and every eligible person by June 15.

Enquiries pouring in, say private hospitals

Private hospitals in the city have already started receiving enquires from residents eager to get themselves vaccinated. Dr Anurag Chaudhary, head of the department of community medicine at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, said most of the queries are coming from senior citizens who are wary of visiting crowded vaccination centres. “We are expecting to receive a fresh lot of vaccine on May 28. Once the vaccine is available, requisite arrangements will be made to vaccinate the maximum number of people without causing crowding at centers. Residents can book their slots through CoWin app. We will soon share the helpline numbers through which residents can seek help in booking the slots,” said Dr Chaudhary.

Dr Baldeep Singh, MD of Deep Hospital in Model Town, said “We are encouraging group vaccination. We have received queries about the vaccines from industry and other establishments. Due to lockdown, commuting is a major challenge. Further, crowding at hospitals is another problem as it comes with a risk of infection. So we are encouraging group vaccinations wherein a doctor and a staff nurse will visit a location and vaccinate people there.”

Munish Dogra, a hosiery owner, welcomed the development. “The price of vaccines could be debated upon, but there are two ways to look at it. The rate of the vaccine could be looked at from different perspectives. One can find the vaccine expensive. But if one considers spending ₹2,000 on two jabs of vaccine that could save the life, then it is cheap.”

Surinder Kaur, 63, a resident of Field Gunj said the resumption of vaccination drives at private hospitals would be a huge respite for many elderly like her. “This is a great move. I was worried about the rush at government sites. “

Ludhiana Inc books vaccine worth ₹1 crore

Deputy commissioner Varinder Sharma said city-based industrialists have booked Covid vaccine worth over ₹1 crore from Serum Institute of India to vaccinate their employees and family members. He said the doses would reach the city soon after which special camps will be organised at premises of the respective units.

High drama over special treatment to VIP

High drama was witnessed at a vaccination site located in a school at BRS Nagar this afternoon when people queuing up for the vaccine caught the healthcare staff jabbing a VIP inside his car parked outside the vaccination centre. A woman standing in the queue reportedly grabbed a healthcare staffer by the arm and snatched the injections kept in her pocket. Soon others surrounded the health department employee and began protesting. As the situation started turning ugly, the health department employee first ran back to the vaccination centre but found the door bolted then ran towards her car and fled the scene. HTC