Off-site vax camps by pvt hosps to resume after dept's approval letter

KOLKATA: All off-site vaccination camps run by private hospitals will be resumed after the Health department officials inspect these sites and issue a formal approval letter. The private hospitals will have to share the copy of the approval letter with the local police station and the borough office of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

According to state government norms, the copy of the approval letter must be put on display at each vaccination site. This applies even to camps that have already received the necessary login ID and passwords. In case of district off-site camps, the same procedure will be followed, where permission is to be taken from the concerned district CMOH and local police. This, however, does not apply to the three ongoing off-site vaccination camps of AMRI Hospitals at Acropolis, South City and Eastern Diagnostics.

The top government officials during a virtual meeting on Monday urged the private hospitals to organise off-site vaccination camps to ensure more people in the districts are vaccinated. The primary focus of the meeting was to take community vaccination for COVID-19 to the districts.

"In a virtual meeting between senior officials of the state government, private hospitals, Chambers of Commerce, and various associations, private healthcare service providers have been encouraged to take vaccination drives in a more extensive manner," said a senior official of a private hospital.

State Health Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam, State Tourism Secretary Nandini Chakraborty, State MSME Secretary Rajesh Pandey, State Industry Commerce & Enterprises Secretary Vandana Yadav, and WBIDC Chairman Rajiva Sinha took part in the virtual meeting along with the representatives of several Chambers and associations like FICCI, CII, BCC&I, tourism operators' association, and hotel owners' association, besides top officials from private hospitals.

Senior officials said during the meeting that the state government would arrange for free vaccination of employees working in smaller companies, besides taking vaccination drives to communities like hawkers, cab drivers, construction workers and unorganised sector labourers who have been identified as 'super spreaders'.