15K vaccine slots vacant at Chandigarh private hospitals till June 26

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 6

At a time when beneficiaries from 18 to 45 years are struggling to find slots for vaccination at government facilities, paid slots of vaccines in private facilities are lying unused in the city. Over 15,000 slots (till June 26) were vacant as checked today.

For today, at least 841 slots were vacant in private hospitals of the city. On the contrary, there are no slots available at government facilities. The vaccine slots are now open at New Public School, Global Health Care, Bedi Hospital and Cloud Nine Hospital.

RS Bedi from Bedi Hospital, Sector 33, said: “Many people are unfamiliar with the availability of vaccine in private hospitals.

People are perhaps confused with the number of vaccines coming to the market from time to time. The supply should be seamless and guidelines should not be changed often as it causes uncertainty. The drive has picked up pace in the past two days in private hospitals.”

Meanwhile, Chandigarh is yet to gain momentum for 18-45 age group vaccination as the Centre is sanctioning doses in a staggered manner. The UT is expected to receive 26,000 doses of vaccine till June 10.

“The situation — vacant slots in private sector and people struggling to get vaccine at government facilities — is exhibiting the country’s vaccine strategy. It shows that vaccines are unaffordable for majority and the distribution formula for public and private sectors needs to be reconsidered. Covid-19 vaccination was an opportunity for the government to show its seriousness on the healthcare front. However, in the end, it seems to have further diminished the trust of people in government facilities,” said Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, public policy and health systems expert.