Odisha warns people against fake co-morbidity certificates for Covid-19 vaccine

The Union health ministry last week had specified 20 comorbidities among people aged between 45 and 59 years who will get the vaccine.

Published on: Mar 3, 2021, 23:20:09 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Odisha has warned people in the age group of 45-59 years against submitting false medical documents certifying co-morbidities for taking Covid-19 vaccine.

Till Wednesday, 56,033 people in the age group of 45-59 years with co-morbidities and those above 60 years have taken the first dose of the vaccine in Odisha. (Representative image/Reuters)

The state health department on Wednesday said that stringent action will be taken on detection of false medical certificates in support of specified co-morbidities for availing Covid vaccine.

“While issuing the medical certificates the medical practitioners have to strictly follow the MoHFW guidelines. Any detection of false medical certificate will entail action against the concerned Registered Medical Practitioner as well as the person producing such false medical certificate in support of the specified co-morbidities,” said the health department’s letter to all district collectors, municipal commissioners directors under health and family welfare department, superintendents of all government MCHs, all chief district medical officers (CDMOs) and public health officers (PHOs).

Till Wednesday, 56,033 people in the age group of 45-59 years with co-morbidities and those above 60 years have taken the first dose of the vaccine in Odisha.

The union health ministry last week had specified 20 comorbidities among people aged between 45 and 59 years who will get the vaccine. The certificate of comorbidity, signed by any registered medical practitioner, can either be uploaded on Co-WIN 2.0 by the beneficiary while self-registering or a hard copy can be carried by the beneficiary to the Covid Vaccination Centres.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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