Outside pvt hospitals can’t join city vaccination drives: BMC

A seemingly nervous man gets a dose of vaccine at Nair hospital on Monday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

The civic body has barred city offices and residential societies from roping in private hospitals from outside Mumbai to conduct vaccination sessions on their premises.

In a circular issued on Monday, the corporation has come up with stringent guidelines for commercial establishments and residential complexes conducting vaccination drives in the city. It says a memorandum of understanding between private hospitals and the societies or offices must be signed prior to the drive. The private hospitals will have to specify the number of medical staff and emergency vehicles that would be deployed for the drive.

Amid reports of political parties jostling with each other to take credit for vaccination sessions in societies and new centres, the BMC circular has said that no political banner will be allowed at any vaccination center, be it BMC, government, private, commercial establishment or residential complexes.

A civic official said, "The order also states that if the instructions are not followed then such hospitals will be slammed with show-cause notices. Their approvals to serve as vaccination centers will also be cancelled."

On Monday, 93,997 people were inoculated across Mumbai, which is claimed to be the highest number thus far recorded. Of these beneficiaries, 73,928 were inoculated at private centers, with civic and government inoculation points adding just about 20,000. Compared to fewer than 45 private centres until last week, Monday saw 50 such facilities inoculating the beneficiaries.

The turnout of senior citizens was 9,454, whereas the number of those aged 45 and above was 13,726.