Mumbai: BMC and pvt hospitals take jabs at each other amid shortage of COVID-19 vaccines

As the vaccination drive sputters ahead amid shortages there is mega confusion over vaccines to be sourced by BMC and private hospitals leaving citizens in the lurch While Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani told midday on Monday that private hospitals can buy vaccines from manufacturers and give them at predecided rates private hospitals say there is no such written order or clarity and that manufacturers have told them that government orders remain their priorityMany hospitals have been asked by manufacturers to take the governmentrsquos help for vaccine stock PicShadab KhanThe shortage of vaccines has created unease between the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC and private hospitals with the former having asked the latter to fend for themselves The corporation had earlier promised to provide the stock for private hospitalsWhile most private hospitals were forced to stop the drive for those aged 45 and above May 1 onwards as stocks finished Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital HNRFH was the only one to vaccinate 476 people on that day The BMC says that they purchased the stock on their own On May 3 the hospital vaccinated over 700 people From May 4 Sir HNRFH and Nanavati Hospital are starting the vaccination for the 18 category ldquoPrivate hospitals have to buy their own stock from companies and continue the vaccinationrdquo Kakani saidDr Gautam Bhansali chief coordinator of private hospitals for vaccination and COVID in Mumbai said ldquoThree days ago we were informed by the BMC that they will provide us with the vaccines We were told that since the stock is not there there will be no vaccination drive We have not received any further communication on the samerdquo Around 76 private hospitals have permission in Mumbai to give the vaccination Plans were to ramp up the number to 101In response to an email the SII told a private hospital that it has to fulfil the govtrsquos vaccine requirements firstJoy Chakraborty chief operating officer Hinduja hospital said ldquoWe are eagerly waiting to receive the vaccines from the government or from the company So far we donrsquot have any vaccines in hand We exhausted our stock on April 30rdquoStock with two pvt hospitalsAmid the shortage some hospitals are questioning how Sir HNRFH procured the vaccine stock ldquoJaslok Hospital and Research Centre had been conducting the inoculation drive against COVID19 until April 30 We are awaiting supplies post which we will resume the vaccination drive in full swingrdquo said Jitendra Haryan CEO Jaslok hospital While Sir HNRFH refused to comment on their vaccination drive Mangla Dembi senior vice president and operations head at Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital said ldquoWe will resume the vaccination drive for the 45 and above category and for the 1844 yeard group from May 4 Only registered individuals will get the vaccine The stock of Covidshield is centrally procured by Max Healthcare group which is currently managing the Nanavati Max Super Speciality HospitalrdquoSmall private hospitals say if they are forced to buy stock from companies directly they may not be able to start vaccination for a long timeldquoBefore April 30 we were one of the hospitals doing maximum vaccinations We sent an email to the companies and were told it is a challenge for them to meet our demands right now as they are busy meeting the demands of the governmentrdquo said Dr Prince Surana CEO Surana Group of hospitals Dr Surana added that in a communication from a vaccine company they were told that it would take them fivesix months to provide vaccines for private hospitals and that they should instead take the governmentrsquos help ldquoThis will be a huge setback to the vaccination drive in Mumbai Only big players will afford to get the stock The idea of vaccinating the maximum public will get affectedrdquo Dr Surana said 101No of pvt hospitals officials wanted in the vaccination drive instead of current 76