CUTTACK: The legal battle over erroneous Covid-19 vaccine certificates issued to two senior citizens has taken a new turn as the Orissa High Court directed for the personal appearance of Principal Secretary at Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
The single-judge bench of Justice Biswanath Rath on Wednesday asked the top official to appear before his court in person on April 5 and “apprise the court regarding the difficulties faced by the citizens of the State and the course measure required to be undertaken by it.”
The legal battle had ensued with Narendra Kumar Das (68) and Tulasi Swain (66) seeking judicial intervention against difficulties faced for the wrong recording of the date of vaccination as well as the vaccination centre.
Both were deprived of taking booster doses as it requires a particular time gap prescribed by the Government of India. Advocate Sushanta Kumar Dash argued on behalf of the petitioners. However, the booster dose was provided to both immediately following the court’s intervention. But their battle continued as they were not given appropriate certificate of vaccination.
The competent authority declined to correct the name of the centre in which the petitioners have been vaccinated. Besides in an affidavit answering to queries of the court, the Deputy Director, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare stated that there is no provision to update/correct the vaccination date or vaccination centre on the vaccination certificate. There is also no provision for backlog entry of vaccination data, the affidavit said.
The court took serious note of it as it felt “the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Department is trying to avoid correcting the vaccination certificates” and “in spite of several opportunities the appropriate department is not showing appropriate response compelling several adjournments of such a serious matter”.
Justice Rath said, “Finding the Central Government is not taking up the responsibility and as this court finds, the citizens of the country are going to face serious health hazards for the wrong issuance of vaccination certificate. This court feels it appropriate to hear the view of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India in this regard.”
“The vaccination certificate has a purpose and it has a number of implications. It has serious bearing for further treatment of each vaccinated person and unless the person got both the doses and/or single dose, is provided with appropriate vaccination certificate, there is the likelihood of serious health hazards for the citizens of the country,” Justice Rath further observed.