Pune: In July, private hospitals saw slowdown in jab coverage

PUNE: Private hospitals in the district recorded a drop in vaccine coverage last month — 6.29 lakh doses administered compared to the nearly 9.84 lakh in June.
Officials said technical glitches the hospitals faced while paying for vaccines and a reluctance among people to opt for a paid jab — even among those who could afford one — led to the dip.
Sanjay Patil, chairman of the IMA’s Hospital Board of India, said, “Out of over 100 private sites, around 50 have now become dormant for various reasons. So the drop in private sector coverage is really not surprising. Inequitable vaccine supply, delays in distribution are some of the issues that have impacted enthusiasm. Also, many private hospitals have turned focus towards treatment of non-Covid patients. So Covid vaccine drives have taken the backseat for many.”
Representatives of the hospitals said they will be focussing on the special vaccination tie-ups they have with companies and housing societies to increase coverage.
“So far, we have covered more than 60 corporates and 16 housing societies in Pune. We will be covering more in days to come,” said H K Sale, executive director of Noble Hospital, which has vaccinated 51,000 people with Covishield and 10,000 with Covaxin between May and July.
Snehal Porwal, founder of Healing Hands Clinic (which has vaccinated nearly 50,000 people), said, “We were the first in the city to start drives on the premises of firms. We have now reached out to over 10 housing societies for vaccine camps.”