BALANGIR: The Balangir health administration has landed in soup for conducting a Covid-19 vaccination drive under a roadside tree at Brahmani Dunguri village under Magurbeda gram panchayat on Monday.
The incident has sparked outrage in the district with many demanding strict actions against the erring officials. Sources said a health team was supposed to carry out the inoculation drive at the local Anganwadi centre. But when the team reached the centre, they found that there was no space as it was stocked with eggs and other things. Unable to find another suitable place, the health teams decided to conduct the drive at the roadside under a tree.
There exist prescribed guidelines for carrying out vaccination in a safe environment. As per guidelines, there should be adequate space at the inoculation site including the provision of waiting, vaccination and observation rooms. But vaccination drive was conducted at Brahmani Dunguri village in violation of the SOP.
While health experts said such practice is unsafe and could be fatal for persons taking the vaccine, locals criticised the health officials for their carelessness. They demanded an inquiry into the incident and stringent action against the officials concerned to prevent the recurrence of any such incident.
Additional public health officer Dr Sudha Barla termed the incident as unfortunate. Additional district medical officer Dr Kuber Chandra Mahanta said this was a serious issue and a probe will be conducted into the matter.