Mumbai: CSR takes a back seat as demand for doses goes up

Citizens queue up for vaccination outside Priyadarshini Park at Napeansea Road on Saturday

The civic body's efforts to get the poor vaccinated by private parties through the CSR route haven't elicited encouraging responses. The BMC had urged private hospitals to utilise their unused stock through corporate social responsibility and received commitments from a few.

But the dynamics changed after the government allowed fully vaccinated citizens to access local trains and the demand for doses went up at these private facilities.

Private vaccination centres in the city had close to 10 lakh unutilised doses last month. Officials said the vaccination scam, which saw over 3,000 people getting fake vaccines, had played a major role as people's trust in these centres was shaken.

As the stock of vaccines at the public centres increased in July, civic officials said, people preferred them to private centres. During the month, public centres administered 10 lakh doses against 7.9 lakh paid jabs.

Also read: Covid-19: Maharashtra govt claims new record by vaccinating over 10.96 lakh people in a day

Since vaccines do not have a longer shelf life, the BMC had appealed to private hospitals, corporates and NGOs to come forward to utilise unused doses on the poor. While many centres showed came forward, they lost interest in the social cause after people began showing up at their facilities due to stock scarcity at public centres.

In this month till August 21, of the total 12.78 lakh vaccines given in the city, more than 50 per cent were administered by private centres - the public centres were shut for five days due to lack of doses, apart from four weekly offs. The government's train decision is also driving up the number of people coming forward to get the vaccines.

"We have received a commitment of five lakh doses of vaccines from private centres under CSR initiative. We are hoping to get more responses while the process of administration of these vaccines has started," said Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner. He added that Jaslok Hospital, Surana Sethia Hospital and Cipla Foundation have agreed to be a part of the cause.

Under the CSR initiative, BMC decides the sites and centres for vaccination, manages queues and raises awareness, while the private partner provides staff for administering the vaccines.

Shots given through this arrangement are counted as doses by private centres as they are not free vaccines provided by the government.

"People are coming to private centres and there aren't unused vaccines but we are going for CSR activity to speed up the vaccination as many underprivileged people haven't received it. Bombay Hospital along with others participating in it," said Dr Goutam Bhansali of Bombay Hospital who is coordinating between private hospitals and the BMC.

10 lakh
No. of doses given by public centres in July

7.9 lakh
No. of doses given by private centres in July