Medium, large-sized hospitals seek Centre’s takeover of Covid vaccine doses
NEW DELHI: Medium and large-sized hospitals in India have sought the Centre’s help in urgently acquiring a large quantity of Covid vaccine doses stocked with them which will soon expire.
The Association of Healthcare Providers (India) (AHPI), a network of medium and large-sized hospitals, had raised the matter with Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya as lakhs of doses of Covishield and Covaxin in their stocks are set to expire by March-end.
Speaking with this newspaper, Dr Girdhar J Gyani, director-general of AHPI, said they had personally met the union health minister in December last year and had raised the matter. “The minister had agreed to the suggestion. But the assurance was not kept,” the doctor said.
AHPI also wrote to Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramaniam on Thursday to flag a similar problem faced by the Apollo Hospital, Chennai, that holds over six lakh doses of Covaxin due to expire by the end of March.