Act as nodal agency for vax supply: Pvt hosps urge state govt

KOLKATA: With the immunisation drive set to expand from next month, the private hospitals in the city have urged the State government to be the nodal agency to ensure steady supply of vaccine doses. They made the request after considering various legal issues and time consuming formalities involved in the procurement of the doses. They also urged the state government to sort out various issues which have posed a stumbling block before the establishments to continue the vaccination drive.

Till now, the State government was sending the vaccine doses to the private hospitals on the basis of the supply from the Centre. The private hospitals have blamed the Centre for the ill-conceived idea which has thrown a challenge to the smooth implementation of vaccination.

Following the new norms set by the Centre, the private hospitals now have to procure the vaccine directly from the manufacturers. But the manufacturers did not give any assurance to the private hospitals regarding the supply. "Even the formalities between the manufacturers and the private hospitals would take around 4-5 months. How the private hospitals will start vaccination for people above 18 years of age when there will be no supply," a senior official of a private hospital said.

"We have informed the matter to the State government. The Health officials have assured that the issues would be taken up with the Centre.

The Bengal government is ready to play the role of the nodal agency of the vaccination programme so that doses are adequately sent to the private hospitals," the official said.

There will be an utter chaos if the State government fails to resolve the issue.

The Centre must listen to these issues with utmost importance, said a senior doctor in the city.