The BMC has started vaccination booths at private hospitals to boost the vaccination drive, but only 34.57 per cent beneficiaries have been vaccinated till date.
According to the data, 1,046 of the 3,025 targeted beneficiaries have turned up in the last seven days for vaccination. Officials said there are many reasons for which fewer numbers have opted to take vaccines at private hospitals, which includes reluctance, as per their time and most of them considering to take later as it is in their hospitals. However, health experts said the private hospitals had insisted on starting a drive at their hospitals for the comfort of their healthcare workers (HCWs) and frontline workers (FLWs) but the turnout of the beneficiaries are very less. They urged the BMC to look into the matter and find out the reason for the low turnout.
Suresh Kakani, Additional Municipal Commissioner, said there is no exact reason for the low turnout of HCWs for the vaccination drive as most of them are taking vaccine shots depending on the work schedule, while only some of them are reluctant.
Moreover the technical glitch in the Co-Win application is the one of the major reasons due to which most of them have missed their first vaccine dose as they did not receive any messages. After this, the state government allowed 'walk-in' and add on beneficiaries due to which they could reach two lakh-mark.
“There are HCWs who are still reluctant or hesitant in taking COVID vaccine as they have misconceptions related to vaccines and they feel it causes severe side effects. We are expecting numbers of HCWs for the first dose will increase in future. However we are getting good responses for the second dose,” he said.
Dr Deepak Baid, President of Association of Medical Consultants said the hospital authorities should motivate their healthcare workers to take the COVID vaccine for the benefit of their family members and community.
“Many health workers are still on the verge of taking the vaccine, but step back thinking about the side effects of the vaccines. Moreover there are many misconceptions related to vaccines which need to be clear by the senior doctors and the higher authorities of the hospitals. Hospital heads should motivate their employees and I have also spoken to some heads of the hospital in the hope that the number of people taking the vaccine will increase in the coming days,” he said.
Dr Gautam Bhansali, consultant physician at Bombay Hospital and coordinator of private hospitals during pandemic, said, “It has not been long since vaccination started in a private hospital. Gradually the number will increase. In some private hospitals, Co-Win applications are not giving the names of the beneficiaries, so they are not able to get the vaccine. So who is ready to take the vaccine, but their registration is not done. Now their registration is not being possible due to the closure of the portal.”
