Your Space: Steps in place to check vaccine wastage
With authorities reporting vaccine wastage within Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic limits and the district, readers suggest steps to be taken to lessen waste Staff volunteer to take vaccine when beneficiaries do not turn up During the Covid pandemic, Sassoon General Hospital used to report 60-700 infected cases daily
With authorities reporting vaccine wastage within Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad civic limits and the district, readers suggest steps to be taken to lessen waste
Staff volunteer to take vaccine when beneficiaries do not turn up
During the Covid pandemic, Sassoon General Hospital used to report 60-700 infected cases daily. The count has reduced to 4-5 now. Our hospital provides Covaxin and Covishield. Other vaccines are available in private hospitals only. To check vaccine wastage, if some registered users do not turn up for inoculation, we sometimes compensate those doses with the hospital staff. Approximately 100 people take the jab daily. I have been working at Covid section for last two years and neither I nor my family got infected. The hospital takes necessary precautions and carry out timely vaccination. Some people falsely claim that after being infected vaccination is not mandatory as the body develops immunity. Everybody should get vaccinated.”
Nurse, Sassoon General Hospital
No vaccine wastage at hospital
It is a ground-level issue and there could be multiple reasons across different hospitals. The efficiency of any treatment depends on the system at the particular place. I remember once we pooled money for Covid treatment of a friend, but could not save him. I have observed that private hospitals provided treatment to those who could afford it. There was a time when vaccines were in shortage, now there is report of wastage. Our hospital provides only Covishield and, as per my knowledge, there has been no wastage.
Hanumant Jadhav, Ruby Hall Clinic
Vaccine wastage is negligible
Vaccine wastage in Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is negligible. There is no need to take any immediate action. Most of the vaccine wastage that happens is when there is minor mishandling of vials.
Laxman Pandurang Gophane, PCMC
We arrange beneficiaries before opening vial
Vaccine wastage is not high. As one vial contains ten doses, we ensure that there are beneficiaries. If only six or seven persons turn up, we request them to bring in relatives or acquaintances to fill the quota. Our data entry operators make sure of that. I am a frontline worker and received Covid vaccination in the first drive. I have not yet been infected. Since the last two-three months, we have been calling beneficiaries at our health welfare centres to take booster doses. Some residents think that prevention dose is not necessary. A proper mechanism is in place and working. We just have to make sure to keep up the efficiency and check vaccine wastage.
Dr Akshay, PMC