Centre Writes To Delhi Over Hospitals Vaccinating Ineligible People

The Delhi administration has been asked to immediately issue a show-cause notice to VIMHANS regarding such wrong practices which violate COVID-19 vaccination norms.

The Centre on Monday wrote to the Delhi government, pointing to irregularities in the identification of COVID-19 vaccination beneficiaries, below the age of 45 years, by some private vaccination centres. In the letter to the Principal Secretary (Health), Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD), it has been pointed out by the central government that there have been serious lapses in the registration of beneficiaries by the VIMHANS (Vidyasagar Institute of Mental Health, Neuro and Allied Sciences) located at Nehru Nagar area in the North-East District of Delhi, operating as a private COVID vaccination centre. VIMHANS has been found to register beneficiaries below the age of 45 years as Health Care Workers (HCWs) & Front Line Workers (FLWs) and vaccinate them. A release from the health ministry said, "As per provisions of the ongoing COVID-I9 vaccination drive, citizens above 45 years of age (from 1st April 2021) are being vaccinated along with Health Care Workers (HCWs) and Front Line Workers (FLWs) above 18 years of age as per the recommendations of NEGVAC. CoWIN (Covid Vaccine Intelligence Work) sample data (l9th March-3rd April 2021) of vaccinated beneficiaries from this private CVC verified by the health ministry, revealed that many beneficiaries lie outside the ambit of the eligible beneficiaries (not under the identified priority populations groups), in violation of the guidelines laid down by the union health ministry." Noting that vaccines are a "precious commodity", the Centre said these serious lapses at the VIMHANS CVC in terms of compliance of the COVID- 19 vaccination guidelines harm the countrywide vaccination exercise as eligible beneficiaries may get deprived of vaccination.