With the Covid-19 vaccine roll out starting from mid-January, just like all other states, Goa too had their first vaccine doses saved and given for healthcare workers. Goa’s vaccination drive kick-started on 13th January at seven hospitals covering both North and South Goa.
Goa Medical College has been the main vaccination site and the drive launched out with the vaccinating of 100 sanitary workers on its first day. North Goa District Hospital, Mapusa Hospicio, Margao sub-district hospital, Ponda sub-district hospital, Manipal Hospital, and Healthway hospital, Old Goa are the other hospitals besides GMC where the vaccine rollouts have started.
Though the vaccination priority has been given to the healthcare workers including sanitary workers, doctors, and nurses, it was reported that some private hospitals in the state have favored their family members and friends by giving them the jabs intended for the healthcare workers.
According to the reports, a family-run private hospital in Panaji had administered the vaccine to 32 individuals who are not identified as healthcare workers. Also, another private hospital in Margao run by a politically influential family has given the vaccine jab to 10 people including their relatives and close associates.
This comes as a surprise given the fact that all the names of those who got the jab have passed the Co-win portal, a platform designed for the public to access through the widely used Aarogya Setu app for the vaccine registrations.
These private hospitals in question have duplicated the names by including their family members and relative names to avail the vaccine.
The list from the Margao private hospital has 10 names found duplicated on its list while the list of Panaji private Hospital too contains around 32 duplicated names. This blunder in the vaccination lists implies clearly that no prior checking of the lists are done to determine whether all listed are actually healthcare workers or not.
When inquired about this, a senior health official replied that since the vaccination drive is carried out both in government and private hospitals their process of registration is different.
In government hospitals, the names of those who are to get the jab are sent by the directorate of the health services by carefully checking their documents and verifying their occupation. But in the case of private hospitals, the documents of the beneficiaries are not verified before it is uploaded on the portal by the district office.
The Co-win portal includes a column for the entry of the exact occupation of the selected healthcare worker to be specified. But it is revealed that the hospital management adds their own family members and friends as healthcare workers and include them in the list.
With all these reports coming on the surface it is now clear that some of the private hospitals are going against the guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare regarding the vaccination drive where it was announced that the healthcare workers will be vaccinated in the first phase next followed by the front line workers.
Over the past few days, the vaccination drive had been carried on smoothly in Goa with around 5000 jabs given showing a success rate of above 75%. Over 18000 healthcare workers have registered on the portal to get the jab so far.
