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

Bhopal: Apex medical body IMA on Wednesday expressed concern over not all pre-registered beneficiaries turning up for receiving COVID-19 vaccines and suggested the Madhya Pradesh government to allow inoculation of people interested in getting doses.

The Madhya Pradesh unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the apex body of doctors, said allowing vaccination of people outside the priority group, currently only healthcare workers are being inoculated, will help in preventing the “wastage” of the medicine.

The government should make a provision for including those persons in the vaccination drive who are interested in getting doses so that maximum number of people benefit,” IMA MP Joint Secretary Dr Sudeep Pathak told PTI.

“At present, once a vial is opened, then it can be administered to a maximum of 10 persons at a time. But when the number of persons (planned recipients) is less, then the medicine 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 inoculation drive, so that those willing to get the shot but not registered, can be given vaccine to prevent its wastage.

A vial of 5 ml can be administered to 10 individuals and 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 not 100 per cent anywhere and in that scenario, it will be in the larger interest if people ready for inoculation are allowed to get the doses by registering themselves on the portal, Pathak said.

However, MP’s Additional Director (Vaccination) Dr Santosh Shukla denied reports in a section of the media that vaccine doses are getting wasted in the state.

The dose left in the last vial (of the day) cannot be termed as wastage and it is within the permissible limits of 0.4 per cent to 5 per cent which is allowed under government guidelines, Shukla said.

It is happening only with the last vial of the day. But it cannot be termed as wastage. Those who are saying so are wrong.

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

Shukla informed they have requested the Centre to make a provision in the portal to accommodate those ready for vaccination and the same is under consideration.

He said the central government’s immunisation director, during a visit here on Tuesday, had termed Madhya Pradesh as the “best performing” state in the country on COVID-19 vaccination front and making arrangements for it.