Nagpur: Each time there is no patient, Hemraj Bhaghel (55) gets out of the lift on the first floor at Indira Gandhi Government Medical College & Hospital (IGGMCH) community medicine department and walks up to the medical students sitting with the list of vaccination beneficiaries to check his name.
Bhaghel, a liftman, is disappointed on not finding his name in the first list of 100 beneficiaries who are to receive the Covishield vaccine at IGGMCH. “I lost my elder brother who used to work here as attendant. He died in IGGMCH DCH in November. My nephew too was badly infected and lost ₹3.5 lakh in treatment. Some more relatives were infected,” he said while requesting the students to once again check his name.
Attendant Ashok Tirpude (54) appears too be older than his age. Since 9am he has made multiple rounds to check his name. “I don't have a mobile, therefore I think I didn’t get the SMS and my name is not here,” he said.
At 1pm, Tirpude makes another round at the immunization desk and insists the doctors to give him the shot as not many have turned up. “I want to have a safe future. I am an OPD worker and I get exposed to the infection daily,” he said.
Beside being technology handicapped, Tirpude feels he remains at the bottom of the hierarchy since he is just an attendant. “The dean got the first shot. Maybe our chance will come last.”
Dresser Sheshrao Wadve (52) is also eager to get vaccinated on the first day itself. “I have to touch every patient for dressing. I need the shot as early as possible. But they said my name is not their. How can it be possible. I had given my details for vaccination,” he said.
Attendant Pankaj Gharode (32) tells him to have patience. “Our names will come in the next list,” he assured his colleagues.
Yet, Gharode too doubts that it is a “big game”. “We are not on priority. The top officials are the first preference,” he alleged.