PANAJI
In an unsettling declaration, President of Indian Medical Association (IMA) - Goa Dr Vinayak Buvaji has sought to insist that the inclusion of names of non-Health Care Worker (HCW) family members in the lists uploaded by private hospitals on Co-WIN portal for Covid vaccination is “not wrong”.
The Directorate of Health Services (DHS) on January 31 had issued a strongly worded missive urging the IMA to step in and ensure that private hospitals do not include non-HCWs in the queues for a Covid shot. The DHS had warned that it would discontinue the supply of the vaccine to the private medical establishments, which were found to have erred.
Commenting on the issue, Dr Buvaji said, “There is no need to rake up a controversy on this issue. Let me give you an example. I run a private hospital. My wife is a non-doctor. Generally, doctors and their families either live on the same premises as nursing homes. Though my wife is not a doctor, she is always involved in the hospital administration. Automatically, she becomes a part of the hospital staff. What happens is when I practice and return home, members of my family who are non-doctors will be at risk. As a hospital owner, I have to ensure their safety. If I include their names on the portal, I don’t think it is wrong. People have assumed that the vaccine is only for doctors and nurses.”
He further sought to downplay the seriousness of the lapse by stating that the ongoing vaccination drive is a nation level programme and “small issues which were not predicted are bound to crop up”.
“We had suggested to DHS to appoint an official at each vaccination booth to weed out such suspicious and non-HCW additions. They could have verified the identity. Also, individuals who are not on the portal could not have received the vaccine. I had also suggested that on-the-spot registration should be allowed to receive a shot of the vaccine,” saisd the IMA-Goa president adding that the vaccine is for everybody and that if everyone is not covered, the entire exercise will be defeated.
Incidentally, the central government decision to vaccinate HCWs in the first phase was primarily to protect them and their respective families.
It may also be noted that the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had issued a set of comprehensive regulations titled the “Guidelines for health care workers database for Covid-19 vaccination” in October 2020 laying down with utmost clarity the various categories of HCWs who would be covered in the first phase of vaccination.
The list includes front line health workers, nurses and supervisors, medical officers including allopathic doctors (MBBS and/or post graduates, teaching and non-teaching and doctors on administrative posts), AYUSH doctors, dentists and so on, paramedical staff including all technicians, pharmacists, physiotherapists, radiographers, ward boys, scientists and research staff, students working in the facilities, support staff including dietary staff, CSSD staff, BMW staff, sanitation workers, ambulance drivers, security staff, outsource agency staff and other support staff, clerical and administrative staff including data entry operators, engineers and other health staff working in the facility.
