KOLKATA: With fresh supply of vaccines yet to arrive under the new online procurement system, private hospitals in Kolkata are planning to cut down on off-site camps in the city and districts. Two city hospitals have already exhausted their stocks and others are wary of running out of their fast-depleting reserves. Most say they would rather save some vaccines to keep their on-site drives running than diverting stocks to off-site camps.
AMRI, which has about a week’s stock left, has decided not set up any new camps. It may soon start reducing the number of doses at their existing off-site centres, which include South City and Acropolis malls. “Other than the two malls, we have been administering 1,200-1,400 doses at off-site centres occasionally, which will now have to stop. The malls will continue, though, along with our three hospitals. But unless we receive a fresh supply within the next few days, we might have to reduce the number of recipients everywhere,” said AMRI CEO Rupak Barua.
AMRI has been running off-site camps at Burdwan and Hooghly. It has sought 1.5 lakh doses for its three centres.
Fortis Hospital has been forced to discontinue off-site and on-site vaccinations since it ran out of stock last Wednesday. RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS) had planned around 10 off-site camps over the next two weeks, including at least two outside the city limits. But they may now have to be deferred. “With the current stock, we may have to postpone most of them till the supply arrives for this month,” said RTIICS zonal head R Venkatesh. RTIICS has requisitioned 35,000 doses for July. which is yet to arrive.
Woodlands Hospital has opted for a dual procurement system that allows them to buy vaccines directly from manufacturers other than applying for doses on the Co-Win portal through the government channel. While it has enough stocks of Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik acquired from manufacturers, the hospital has received nothing from the government yet.
“Fortunately, we have a dual procurement system so we have stocks of all three vaccines and off-site camps are on for us. We are doing 2,000 doses a day with an equal share between off-site and on-site centres,” said Woodlands managing director Rupali Basu. She, however, added that it’s taking longer to organize off-site camps since permission norms have got elaborate.
Belle Vue Clinic has two off-site camps running at Park Street and at La Martiniere School. The hospital has applied for 18,000 doses this week and will not add any more off-site camps, other than the ones that are running. “We have camps lined up at Agarpara, Sodepur, Bhadrakali and Dum Dum this week and we still have enough stocks to cater to recipients there,” added said Belle Vue CEO P Tondon. According to a government official, fresh applications for off-site camps have dropped. “We have received many more requests for camps in districts,” said an official.
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