Chennai, June 10(BPNS)
Tirupur district administration has ordered an enquiry into around 800 does of vaccine meant for Primary Health Centres(PHC’s) being diverted and sold to private garment factories.
The Tiruppur district collector’s office confirmed to BPNS that an order has been issued to investigate whether there have been any lapses in allotting vaccines to the garment factories and whether vaccines meant for Primary Health Centres were sold to these factories.
The issue came into light after the Tirupur corporation decided to administer around 800 doses of Covaxin to workers of three garment factories which was meant for four PHC’s.
The Tirupur district collector Vijayakarthikeyan has ordered a probe into the media reports and complaints from local people that vaccines were sold to private garment factories.
He said “After the enquiry, it was found that the corporation has decided to conduct institutional vaccination for three garment factories on Saturday”.
The district collector also said that the reopened garment factories in Tirupur were earlier sources for Covid -19 clusters and were high-risk areas.
The issue came up after an internal communication from the health department stated that 728 doses of vaccine were remaining unutilized across four PHC’s, Sundamedu UPHC, Annanesavlar UPHC, Kovilvali UPHC and Periyandipalayam UPHC.
On Saturday, June 5, coming to know of the availability of vaccines, local people reached before these PHC’s but were turned off as vaccines and was informed that vaccines were not available. At the same time inoculation was conducted to employees and workers of 3 garment factories of Tirupur- MS Garments, Prisma Garments and Network Clothing Company on Saturday itself.
The local people had an inkling of doubt that the vaccines meant for them in PHC’s were diverted and sold to the garment factories and created an issue.
Corporation officials confirmed that the vaccine drive was conducted at the three garment factories on Saturday and administered 700 doses of vaccine. A senior official with the corporation, while speaking to IANS said, “it was a case of miscommunication as the vaccine stocks were diverted to the garment factories without informing the PHC’s and local people came to know of this and hence the hue and cry.”
Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan also said that prioritizing institutional vaccination is the prerogative of the district administration. He said that if no sale had happened there was no controversy also.
The district administration is expecting a written report on the incident by Thursday night and if there was no mention of any sale of the vaccine, there would not be any action regarding inoculation at the garment factories at it is the prerogative of the district administration.
