Nagpur: Though private hospitals were up in arms over local administration’s move to turn them into Covid hospitals, the vaccination drive has evoked a completely opposite sentiment from them.
As on date, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has onboarded 37 private hospitals as paid vaccination centres, while 10 bigger ones have petitioned the civic body to allow them to run the inoculation drive.
In their request, the 10 hospitals have expressed willingness to run the centre free of cost. Some of them were ‘delisted’ after phase-I (healthcare workers) and phase-II (frontline workers) vaccination.
Since everyone, sooner or later, would need or take the vaccine, hospitals are eyeing it as value added service and a measure to retain the goodwill with their existing patients.
A top government doctor said, “The vaccine is still not available in the open market.”
“The ongoing vaccination drive is the real fight against novel coronavirus”, said Kunal Hospital director Dr Shishir Shrivastav.
Vidarbha Hospitals Association (VHA) convener and Orange City Hospital & Research Institute (OCHRI) director Dr Anup Marar said big hospitals are not concerned whether vaccination is free or paid. “All I am concerned is how can hospital retain the goodwill through this drive.”
“The drive is not going to end here, but likely to go on for a long time. Hence, I would like to offer a value added service to public rather than telling them to go to a particular centre,” he said.
Asked about different approach on treating Covid patients and in vaccination, Dr Marar said, “The cap on hospital charges was harsh and unjustified.”
VHA in its representation to the local administration has said multispeciality hospitals are ready to function free of cost as well as paid vaccination centres. “These hospitals have all infrastructural and staffing needs in place along with experience of successfully conducting phase-I and phase-II of Covid vaccination drive as per request of the NMC authorities,” say VHA office-bearers.
Sengupta Hospital director Dr Shantanu Sengupta said herd immunity and breaking the chain of virus spread were his priorities. “We were the first to be authorized to run paid vaccination centre in the city. The faster we vaccinate, faster the community will have herd immunity. We are not earning anything from this drive. In fact, we are spending more resources on it. Technically, we are earning the goodwill of people, patients, their parents and elderly colleagues,” he said.
Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) medical superintendent Dr Avinash Gawande said private hospitals already have trained staff, which is an advantage. “Chances are that city may witness second wave of Covid infections in June, July or August. With more participation, it can be averted. For prevention of Covid, vaccination is important,” he said.