The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is now knocking at citizens’ doors, collating data of those bedridden because of health complications for at least six months and requiring doorstep Covid-19 vaccination. A proforma for this purpose has been given to the respective wards. The civic body has directed every medical health officer to make door-to-door visits and gather data on bedridden patients. Civic officials said the survey was being undertaken so that in the event of the central government giving a green signal for vaccination of those bedridden, exact data would be at hand.
The proforma issued by the civic body seeks information like the name, age and sex of the patient, the reason for their being bedridden (clinical diagnosis), the duration for which they have been so and their willingness for Covid vaccination. Each ward officer is required to identify the number of bedridden patients in their respective wards and there should be at least 10 such patients in the vicinity to avoid wastage of vaccine.
According to BMC officials, they currently do not have the exact data on how many such beneficiaries will have to administered home vaccination. They do have data from the ‘My Family, My Responsibility’ drive, wherein they had conducted the door-to-door screenings.
“We have instructed medical health officers to do the rounds of their respective wards and collate the data of the bedridden. Or else, the citizens can submit the names of such family members to their local health officer in the respective ward offices, which will ease the work,” said a senior health official from the public health department.
The BMC officials added that there were several challenges involved in door-to-door vaccination and it would require specific guidelines from the state health department, importantly, in case of adverse effects post immunisation.
The Maharashtra government had informed the Bombay high court (HC) last week that it would soon commence home administration of vaccines for citizens who are immobile or bedridden, on an experimental basis, starting with Pune district. The BMC too is readying for a similar scenario in the coming days.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani said, currently data for door-to-door vaccination was being gathered. It would be mandatory to have a certificate from the treating doctor/ family doctor of these beneficiaries, stating that the beneficiary was truly immobile and bedridden prior to home vaccination.
“The certificate of the treating doctor/family doctor must mandatorily certify that the concerned beneficiary is not likely to have Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) and in any case, if there is an AEFI, then such a treating doctor/family doctor shall be entirely responsible for managing and administering the appropriate medical treatment to the beneficiary. The family member of the concerned beneficiary too will have to mandatorily provide written consent,” Kakani informed.
