Private firms help BMC conduct its vax drive in slum pockets

MUMBAI: After Citibank, Jaslok Hospital and Godrej Group, Reliance Foundation has joined the list of companies to commit Covid vaccine doses to the corporation. Guardian minister Aaditya Thackeray on Monday inaugurated two centres at Adarsh Nagar near Worli Koliwada and Pratiksha Nagar in Sion that will be jointly run by Reliance Foundation and BMC.
Reliance Foundation, through H N Reliance Hospital, will provide three lakh Covid-19 vaccination doses to be used across 50 locations in the city. The free vaccination drive will cover people in Dharavi, Worli, Wadala, Colaba, Pratiksha Nagar, Kamathipura, Mankhurd, Chembur, Govandi and Bhandup over the next three months. Thackeray said that private hospitals and institutions should aid in free vaccination to increase the number and speed of vaccinations. “Unless everyone is vaccinated, no one is safe,” he said. A mobile vehicle unit will conduct the drive with BMC and BEST providing infrastructure and logistical support.
Last week, Jaslok Hospital started vaccinating people in Dharavi with doses procured by Citibank. They have jointly committed to vaccinate one lakh people over the next few months. A Jaslok Hospital official said since they cannot order the entire vaccine stock at one go, they would take 2-3 months to complete the drive.
Dr Shreekant Sapatnekar of Godrej Hospital said they donated one lakh doses to BMC to aid in coverage of the city’s population who cannot afford to pay and get vaccinated.