Ghaywan says people are being denied vaccines due to improper planning
Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan is appalled by the technical complexities of Covid vaccine registration. Calling the whole process “cumbersome”, he feels the chaos is depriving those who’re unprivileged, access to the life saving drug.
“There’s no way of knowing when the slots open. There’s too much chaos. I can do it because I have a laptop and fast internet,” Ghaywan shares, adding that the entire process is unfair, especially for people who aren’t wellversed technologically.
He adds, “You see 300 slots and then by the time you get an OTP, they’re gone. By chance if any slot is available, it will ask for captcha. Now, an underprivileged person won’t even understand what is a captcha.” Bothered by this, he questions the safety of rest of the population. “If I weren’t helping my staff, where would they go? I can’t believe this kind of technology and improper planning is for a life saving drug. I understand there’s a vaccine scarcity, which is a bigger problem, but people are also being denied the same because of the complications of the system.”
He expressed his disappointment on Twitter, and was asked by some to give a solution. “Just because I don’t have a solution, it doesn’t mean I can’t ask a question. My job isn’t to find answers. I’m relying on the state or the government for that,” he stresses.
He’s using social media to help people asking for oxygen cylinders, ICU beds etc. “But I gave up because I realised people are asking for medical help, and I know it’s not available. It was harrowing,” he says.