State asks Centre to open COWIN for HCWS again
MUMBAI: Maharashtra health department has asked the Centre to reopen the centralised app COWIN to healthcare workers (HCWS) so that those who have not registered themselves may do so. In Maharashtra, around 500,000 of the 1,500,000 registered HCWS at government and privately-run medical facilities have not registered on COWIN, which is managing the nationwide vaccination drive.
“We have sought permission from the Central government to reopen the app for registration of those HCWS who did not or could not register earlier. Once the approval comes through, the app will be open for registration since vaccination is not permitted without it. Even for walk-ins, registration on COWIN is mandatory,” said Dr Dilip Patil, state surveillance officer.
Across the state, many HCWS who registered themselves on COWIN have reported that their names are missing on the app. For instance, Dr Avinash Bhondwe, president of Indian Medical Association (IMA), Maharashtra, registered on COWIN in November 2020, but learnt his name was missing when he tried to avail a walk-in vaccination at a centre in Pune. Other HCWS like Dr Bhondwe cannot re-register since the deadline for applying on COWIN was on January 12. Dr Bhondwe said the deadline also came as a surprise. “We were earlier told there would be no deadline for registration. But it was suddenly closed [on January 12],” said Dr Bhondwe.
Some doctors chose to not register initially but would like to do so now. “I did not know if vaccines will have any adverse effects and there was also lack of clarity on who can get vaccinated. Having seen there aren’t any severe adverse effects, I would like to get vaccinated,” said a doctor from VN Desai Hospital requesting anonymity.
Health officers said there is growing interest among HCWS in vaccination although the current turnout in state stands at 67%. “Not even 1% beneficiaries suffered minor side effects, like fever and body ache. So far, we haven’t received any complaints about severe side effects. This has helped boost the confidence of HCWS,” said BMC additional commissioner Suresh Kakani.