Pune: The UNI Ministry of Health officials said they had directed the country to take stock vaccines that were not used with private hospitals for immunization drives in government centers.
Instead, the state government has been told to offer fresh vaccines to private hospitals.
However, health officials at Maharashtra said they had not received anything in writing for this effect even when they were surrounded by an appeal by private hospitals to take their shares that would expire, report Umesh Isalkar.
Members of the Indian Medical Association first lifted alarm on vaccine stocks that were not used near their expiration date.
Recently, a private hospital in rudiment was forced to throw 800 covishield doses after the bottle crossed the expiration date.
In the Supreme Court, confusion over the central orders to replace Vialsamid which almost ended through the wider fear of mass waste, the Ministry of Health officials told toI on Monday that all countries have been told to replace the vaccine bottle immediately in private hospitals with stock.
Most vaccine stocks that are not used in private hospitals throughout the country are likely to end at the end of February or early March.
“In a meeting held last week, we direct the country to use private stocks that are not used to drives in government centers and replace private reserves that are approaching with new shares,” said a senior health ministry official to Ti.
But one week, the direction is not yet valid in the state, where officials say they still have not received clear guidelines from the Ministry of Health.
“We have not received anything in writing,” said the state immunization officer, Dr.
Sachin Desai.
“We have sent an email to the ministry looking for written guidance.
Private hospitals also pursue us to take their stock, which we cannot do in the absence of written guidelines,” he added.
Members of the Indian Medical Association, among the first lifting alarms on inventory that are not used, said “cold relationships” between the center and the state may be the reason for the problem.
Dr.
Sanjay Patil, Chairman of the IMA Hospital Board of India said, “The UNI Ministry of Health officials have claimed that some states (not Maharashtra) have begun to replace private bottles that will soon expire with new ones.
But there is still a lot of confusion in Maharashtra, About starting stock replacement to end at the end of February or early March.
“At Pimpri Chinchwad, a private hospital in Rudowadi was recently forced to throw 800 covishield doses after the bottle crossed the expiration date.
IMA members said the incident was probably the first example of being recorded from the waste of bulk vaccines that could be prevented and added that many such cases tended if the center did not intervene in time.