Mumbai: Private hospitals allowed to vaccinate staff

A police personnel is vaccinated at Nair Hospital on Tuesday. Pic/Bipin Kokate

With the drop in the number of healthcare workers vaccinated every day, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) decided to allow private hospitals to vaccinate employees on their premises. The decision comes after it was observed that many private practitioners were hesitant in taking the vaccine, and the BMC wanted to ensure that they were given all the facilities required, revealed civic sources.

However, the three private hospitals involved, saw a turnout of only 18 percent, 31 per cent and 13 per cent. Out of the total 1.7 health care workers registered on the Co-Win application, so far about 95,000 have been vaccinated, and of these over 500 have received both the doses of Covishield.

On Wednesday 59 per cent of health workers were vaccinated. The Jaslok, Hiranandani and HN Reliance hospitals have been involved in this drive.

Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner said, "We are taking all the necessary efforts to engage even private practitioners and i have instructed staff to hold a dialogue and arrange meetings with all the operators of private hospitals and increase the number of health care workers getting inoculated."

A total number of 1,34,025 beneficiaries have been inoculated so far. The BMC had expected 8,775 health and frontline workers to come, out of which 8,400 turned up - 96 per cent of the turnout.

There were 3 cases of adverse effects but as they were minor, they were allowed to go after observation. The number of health workers vaccinated on Wednesday was 1,767 out of which 393 were given the second dose. The number of frontline workers vaccinated was 6,633 and this is over the 5,775 expected.