Private Mumbai hospitals are beginning to opt out of the national Covid vaccination campaign
Due to the losses they have incurred, private hospitals with recently expired Covid vaccines have announced that they will no longer participate in the national vaccination programme. Surana Sethia Hospital in Chembur, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri, and Apex Group of Hospitals in Mulund and Borivli all reported in February that their vaccines were about to expire in the first week of March.
Apex Hospital, which has nearly 10,000 expired vaccines, announced it would no longer participate in the programme, citing a loss of Rs 65 lakh. “We’ve grown accustomed to the government’s disregard for hospitals and doctors. Apex Hospitals’ CMD, Vrajesh Shah, stated, “We have decided not to purchase any more vaccines.”
“Since the start of the vaccination drive last year, we have conducted many vaccination camps,” said Prince Surana, CEO of Surana Sethia Hospital, which has over 50,000 expired doses. However, the purchase of Covishield has now been halted. It’s pointless to buy something and then let it expire. Vaccines are a valuable commodity.”
In Maharashtra, 157 million people have been vaccinated as part of the national Covid vaccination programme. Covid-19 vaccines are no longer being purchased, according to Vaishal Shah of Malad’s Lifeline Multispecialty Hospital.
According to Gautam Bhansali, the chief coordinator of private hospitals for vaccination and Covid, a large portion of the vaccine stock in private hospitals in Mumbai will expire within one or two months.
Covid cases have decreased, according to Mangesh Pate, secretary of the Indian Medical Association (Maharashtra), and vaccination has slowed. “The government should take vaccines with a short shelf life from the private sector and distribute them in areas where vaccines are needed.”Suresh Kakani, an additional municipal commissioner, said last month that around 200,000 doses in the private sector would expire by June 2022. Due to technical difficulties, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will not be able to swap vaccines with private hospitals, he added.
On average, BMC’s vaccination centres administer close to 30,000 vaccinations per year, compared to less than 3,000 in private hospitals.
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