Allow vaccine for non-healthcare workers to curb wastage: IMA

Apex medical body IMA onWednesday expressed concern over not all pre-registeredbeneficiaries turning up for receiving COVID-19 vaccines andsuggested the Madhya Pradesh government to allow inoculationof people interested in getting doses.

The Madhya Pradesh unit of the Indian MedicalAssociation (IMA), the apex body of doctors, said allowingvaccination of people outside the priority group, currentlyonly healthcare workers are being inoculated, will help inpreventing the ''wastage'' of the medicine.

The government should make a provision for includingthose persons in the vaccination drive who are interested ingetting doses so that maximum number of people benefit,'' IMAMP Joint Secretary Dr Sudeep Pathak told PTI.

''At present, once a vial is opened, then it can beadministered to a maximum of 10 persons at a time. But whenthe number of persons (planned recipients) is less, then themedicine goes waste after a certain period of time, he said.

Pathak suggested making such a provision in Co-WIN,the dedicated digital platform for the nationwide inoculationdrive, so that those willing to get the shot but notregistered, can be given vaccine to prevent its wastage.

A vial of 5 ml can be administered to 10 individualsand once it is opened, it can be kept only for six hours,senior doctor Jayant Yadav said.

As per daily reports, the vaccination target is not100 per cent anywhere and in that scenario, it will be in thelarger interest if people ready for inoculation are allowed toget the doses by registering themselves on the portal, Pathaksaid.

However, MP's Additional Director (Vaccination) DrSantosh Shukla denied reports in a section of the media thatvaccine doses are getting wasted in the state.

The dose left in the last vial (of the day) cannot betermed as wastage and it is within the permissible limits of0.4 per cent to 5 per cent which is allowed under governmentguidelines, Shukla said.

It is happening only with the last vial of the day.

But it cannot be termed as wastage. Those who are saying soare wrong.

''Only those vials get wasted which get opened as thatis not allowed to be used again. But it (such number) is veryminimal and within permissible limits, he said.

Shukla informed they have requested the Centre to makea provision in the portal to accommodate those ready forvaccination and the same is under consideration.

He said the central governments immunisationdirector, during a visit here on Tuesday, had termed MadhyaPradesh as the ''best performing'' state in the country onCOVID-19 vaccination front and making arrangements for it.

 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)