No Covid jab for 400 GH medicos

Hospital has not sent data to dist. officials ● THE LEFT-OUT doctors are approaching senior ex-professors of Gandhi Medical College and members of Indian Medical Association (IMA) to highlight their issue before the government.

Around 400 medical students of Gandhi Medical College (GMC) have been left out of Covid-19 vaccination programme because their data was not sent to the district medical and health authorities by the college and Gandhi Hospital.

The students left out include postgraduates and house surgeons working in different departments as also in Coronavirus wards.

A junior doctor, on condition of anonymity, told this newspaper: “We have represented the matter to the principal of GMC, heads of departments as also superintendent of the hospital. They say our data has not been sent to district authorities. So, we cannot get the vaccine. When vaccination drive for the first dose has attracted less than 50 per cent response from healthcare workers, why cannot they give us a chance to get vaccinated? As frontline workers performing duties around Covid-19 patients, we are worried over being left out.”

Medicos left out are those doing their second and third year. With their exams in the offing, they are unwilling to speak out openly about the issue. However, there are 30 junior doctors in GMC who have got their vaccinations, as they had volunteered to take the vaccine during the first trial. Other resident doctors, whose names were given by hospital authorities, have also been vaccinated. They have been administered the second dose too.

The left-out doctors are approaching senior exprofessors of Gandhi Medical College and members of Indian Medical Association (IMA) to highlight their issue before the government.

According to sources, district medical and health officials have been strictly instructed that only those be vaccinated whose names have been given by their respective hospitals. A senior doctor belonging to IMA says, “The first dose was given on January 16. From then, till now, why have the hospital not acted on this matter,” the doctor asked.

It is believed that with cases of Covid-19 becoming resurgent, those who had missed out on the vaccination want to take the vaccine as a precautionary measure. Earlier they were worried about side effects of the vaccine but now they would like to opt for it.

Senior officials of Gandhi Medical College and district medical and health officials refused to comment on the subject.