Centre's allocated fund will ensure inoculation of only 50 cr: Doctors

KOLKATA: Ahead of National Doctors' Day on July 1, the city-based doctors' organisations urged the Narendra Modi government at the Centre to increase the allotment of funds for Covid vaccination drive to cover the entire population. The fund that had been allocated for vaccination would be able to ensure inoculation of only 50 crore people, said a city-based organisation of doctors.

They also urged the Centre to speed up the vaccination drive so that the maximum number of people is covered before the 3rd wave hits the country, if there is any at all. "The completion of vaccination of around 70-80 per cent of the country's population is necessary to check the possible third wave. Or else, it will be extremely difficult to deal with such a situation. If the Centre fails to speed up the vaccination drive and more doses are delivered to the states, it would never be easy to combat the impending situation. The way the present immunisation is being carried out, it is not enough to check the 3rd wave if there is any. The Delta plus variant already affected many people. People in large numbers are affected with the new variant — Delta plus than what is shown by the Centre. It is a wake-up call for both the Centre and the state governments," said Dr Swapan Biswas from the Service Doctors' Forum.

Dr Ansuman Mitra, secretary of the Medical Service Centre, said: "Rs 35,000 crore has been allotted by the Centre for vaccination but it is not enough. At the most, 50 crore people can be vaccinated with whatever amount has been allotted by the Centre. If it targets to vaccinate 70-80 per cent of its population — which is the need of the hour — the Centre must have to pump in more funds.

"If the Centre really accelerates the pace of the vaccination by supplying more doses to the states, it will be the best gift for the doctors."