Deepali Kalia –
Published on August 05, 2021, at 05:45 PM
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on 5th August informed the Bombay High Court that since the vaccination drive began on August 1, out of 4,715 people who had registered for getting the vaccine at home against COVID-19, a total of 602 have till now received the jab at their houses.
“Till Wednesday, 602 bed-ridden people have been vaccinated at their homes. A two-member team comprising a doctor and a nurse visits the homes of the registered people along with an ambulance and the vaccine is administered”, Anil Sakhare, the counsel appearing for BMC told a Division Bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G S Kulkarni.
However, the only problem that people have been facing was regarding the requirement of a fitness certificate from a doctor stating that the person to be vaccinated shall remain immobile or bed-ridden for the next six months and was fit to get vaccinated, Sakhre informed the Bench further.
The Division Bench was hearing public interest litigation filed by advocates Kunal Tiwari and Dhruti Kapadia which sought directions to the Centre and State governments to start at home vaccination drive for citizens above the age of 75 years and for those who are bed-ridden, specially-abled and wheelchair-bound i.e those who cannot go to the vaccination centres.
Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, who was appearing for the State government, submitted the government’s policy for ‘COVID-19 vaccination for the bed-ridden and immobile persons’ before the Court.
To Advocate Kapadia’s contention that certain changes could be made to the State government’s policy regarding fitness certificates and submission of identity cards, the Bench asked her to forward her suggestions to the State for consideration.
“A beginning has been made. Let it continue. There would be some teething problems here and there. It can be taken care of”, the Bench said.
The Bench further directed BMC to file an affidavit till August 12 on the number of bed-ridden people vaccinated.
Advocate Kapadia also informed the Court that aid of NGOs was being taken by the BMC in the drive, which Counsel Sakhre assented to and stated that the help was taken with regard to registration.
The Court then asked BMC to also include the role of NGOs in the drive-in its affidavit.
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