SAMBALPUR: As the State is getting ready with logistics arrangements to get going as soon as the Covid-19 vaccine is made available, lack of infrastructure could prove a dampener for western Odisha districts.
The upgraded regional vaccine store (RVS) at Sambalpur to store vaccines and distribute them among the western districts by maintaining proper cold chain is yet to see the light of of the day even after four years, thanks to non-availability of land.
Though funds have been sanctioned for construction of a new building, the project is yet to take off in absence of a suitable land.
The existing RVS, located on the premises of Sambalpur district headquarters hospital (DHH), is battling with acute space crunch. The existing store caters to the vaccine requirement of Sambalpur, Bargarh and Deogarh districts.
On an average, it receives 40,000 doses of vaccines for 10 diseases from the State Vaccine Store in Bhubaneswar. The stock of vaccine is supposed to be stored here and procured by the two other districts as per need.
However, the other districts are being asked to procure the vaccines in advance and store them with their own resources due to shortage of space at Sambalpur RVS. The RVS is currently operating from an old DHH building in an area of only 1,200 sq ft which is not sufficient to store the increased requirement of vaccines.
The new RVS building, to be built over at least 3,000 sq ft area, was proposed in 2015.
Subsequently in 2016, Rs 75 lakh was sanctioned by the Central Government for construction of a new building. But due to the land hurdle, the project has been stalled.
Additional district medical officer KC Mohanta said though land at multiple locations was selected for the project, none of these could be finalised due to various problems.
“We have requested the district administration to allot a land within the city limits for the new RVS building so that it will be convenient to supply vaccines to other districts,” he said.
Official sources said two spots identified for the new RVS building at Kainsir and Sindurbahal were rejected as these were found to be agricultural land and locals objected to building construction.
Though there was a plan to develop the RVS at Ainthapali community health centre, the proposal was later dropped as it was found to be unfeasible. The district administration is now looking for another piece land in the same area for construction of the new building.