Hospitals, health centres report vaccine shortage, BBMP denies claims

Several hospitals and public healthcare centres in the city reported shortage of Covid-19 vaccines, forcing people to wait for long hours on Tuesday.

Many were asked to return another day by hospitals, which claimed they were yet to receive the doses from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

The city has a total of 400 vaccination sites in primary health centres, government hospitals and private hospitals within the eight BBMP zones. All these sites depend on the Palike for the supply of Covishield and Covaxin doses.

Citizens who had registered for their first and second doses took to social media to report on the stock exhaustion at many hospitals.

Read: Desperate daughter runs around for ICU bed for 63-year-old father, BBMP says all full

A resident @murti_nv tweeted: “Had an appointment at a private clinic in Sarjapur Road today for vaccination. Showed up on time, but was turned back by the hospital, claiming that the vaccine was not supplied by the BBMP. Tried in four other vaccination centres, but the situation was the same. How will we fight Covid-19 this way?”

At various zones

An official of The Eye Foundation in Bellandur stated that the hospital had been facing a supply shortage for the last four to five days. “Hardly 45-50 people get vaccinated per day in our hospital. There is still a shortage and delay in supply by the BBMP,” he said.

A health officer in charge of the Mahadevapura Zone informed that an average of 5,000-6,000 people show up for vaccination in the zone. BBMP data showed that on Tuesday, only 510 doses of Covisheiled and around 200 doses of Covaxin were supplied to the zone.

In RR Nagar Zone, an in-charge Palike official said an average 4,500-5,000 people turn up for vaccination per day and there are around 500-600 walk-ins. “Due to the walk-ins, we run short of vaccines for the next day and have to wait for the next supply,” the official explained. On Tuesday, the zone received 4,680 doses of Covishield.

However, despite these complaints, BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta denied that there was any shortage.

He told DH: “There has been an adequate supply of vaccines and there is no shortage. The vaccines are being supplied to each zone every second day. However, the manner in which vaccines are supplied to private hospitals will be changed in the near future.”