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Journalism of Courage
ACROSS SEVERAL private hospitals in Pune, a large stock of Covishield vaccine is lying unused and is likely to go waste with the expiry date – some on February 28 and others by March. “We have data of vaccines across 51 private vaccination centres where at least more than one lakh doses of Covishield vaccine are set to expire,” said Dr Sanjay Patil, chairman of Indian Medical Association’s Hospital Board of India, Pune chapter.
Under the national Covid vaccination programme, almost 51 out of 110 hospitals and 192 members of the Indian Medical Association’s Hospital Board of India Pune chapter had started private Covid vaccination centres. They had purchased vaccines and were helping citizens complete the vaccination schedule. “We have urged the district collector to replace these vaccines with fresh stock,” Dr Patil said.
The Centre has noted this issue and had in their communique reiterated to all the States/UTs that the MoHFW has no objection for the States to consider exchange of near expiry vaccine vials of private Covid vaccination centres with long expiry vaccine vials available with Government CVCs after due diligence.
The Centre had also exhorted that no vial of Covid vaccine in Government CVCs as well as in private CVCs should be wasted. The state, however, has ruled out exchange of the doses that are set to expire and has not even contacted us over the issue, Dr Patil claimed.
