Karnataka: Health workers insist on token system for second dose of Covid-19 vaccine

HUBBALLI: Amid the third phase of Covid-19 vaccine drive in northern Karnataka, uncertainty prevails among a large section of the people aged over 45, who are still awaiting the second dose of the vaccine.
In the northern region of the state, many people, who scheduled an appointment on Co-Win or Arogya Setu app for the second dose, were unable to get it due to the non-availability of the vaccine.
Lack of coordination between those running the Arogya Setu app and the state health department has resulted in people being given appointments despite the vaccine not being in stock.
Shankargouda Patilkulkarni (96), a retired tahsildar in Dharwad, said that he had been confirmed of a slot to receive his second dose at the primary health centre in Barakotri.
“But when I went there with my son, the staff insisted me to wait in queue. Regardless of my advanced years, they said they could not make an exception for me since others had been waiting for hours. When I showed them the confirmation message on the app, the staff at the PHC said that they did not have access to its data. They said one must enroll himself manually at the PHC," he said.
"I had to run around for three days, which meant my son had to take leave, but I was finally administered the second dose at the Nehru Nagar PHC,” Patilkulkarni told TOI.
RS Patil, a Dharwad-based businessman, said that, although he was given a slot on May 1 at the Barakotri Jayanagar PHC for May 1, he got the second dose of the vaccine administered a day earlier at the Nehru Nagar PHC.
“They are following a token system. They are not considering the appointment booked on the app, which has resulted in all the PHCs witnessing huge crowds,” Patil said.
In Gadag, Mallamma Gayakwad, a homemaker, recalled that the staff at the PHC she visited for her second dose had no prior knowledge about her appointment on the Arogya Setu app.
“They insisted that I take a token. There is no coordination between the central and state governments. The app that we were forced to download is serving no purpose,” she rued.
Dharwad district health officer Dr Yeshwant Madinkar, meanwhile, said that the app was developed by the Centre. Queried about the health department’s access to the app, Dr Madinkar said that the district nodal officer for the Arogya Setu app Dr SM Honakeri was entrusted with the task. Dr Honakeri, however, did not respond to TOI’s calls or messages.