44 private hospitals in Patna halt vaccination

PATNA: Immunisation drive against the deadly Covid-19 virus has come to a halt in all the 44 private hospitals of Patna.
However, the government has made arrangements to give second dose of the vaccine Covishield in nearest government hospitals. DM Dr Chandrasekhar Singh said following a direction from the State Health Society, the functioning of vaccination centres set up in private hospitals were stopped. “However, 145 government hospitals are running the immunisation drive as per the health department's guidelines,” the DM added.
District immunisation officer ( DIO) Dr SP Vinayak said as vaccination strategy in the state was being reviewed, 44 immunisation centres running in private hospitals were asked to stop functioning. He said, under the new strategy now private hospitals would be required to get the vaccines directly from the manufacturing companies on certain terms and conditions.
“Fresh applications would be invited from the private hospitals of the district willing to join the immunisation drive on changed conditions,” he said.
Vinayak, however, said those who had taken their first dose of Covishield in any private hospital may now get the second shot in any government hospital two days in a week—Monday and Thursday. Covishield is also available at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences vaccination centre. “Altogether 145 government hospitals including 44 in the urban areas like PMCH, NMCH and AIIMS-P and 101 in rural areas have been assigned the task of immunisation,” he added.
Dr Talat Halim, regional director of Paras HMRI hospital said, “The hospital is getting several calls from persons who got their first dose at this hospital to inquire as where to get the second shot of the Covishield vaccine.”
Meanwhile, the Bihar Industries Association ( BIA) president Ram Lal Khetan and secretary Anil Kumar Singh in a statement urged the CM, deputy CMs and health minister to reconsider the government decision to dissociate private hospitals from immunisation drive. They said the state has witnessed huge loss of life and challenges before the health system in the second wave of the covid 19. Now, there was strong chance of the third wave of this deadly virus and mass immunisation was the only shield to protect against the infection.
The BIA demanded inclusion of not only the private hospitals but also some social organisations in the inoculation drive in the state.