New Delhi|HL
The shortage of ‘Intradermal Polio Vaccine’ (IPV) from last three months is creating havoc among the patients. The private practitioners in the city are asking parents to get their baby vaccinated at Government Hospitals. The situation is that that child may be born at private hospital but still parents need to rush to Government Hospital for this life saving vaccine to get the infant vaccinated for polio.
In a new move, the vaccine producing companies have been told to sell the essential drug to the government directly. The single-vital drug can be administered to 50 children in a day. “Private practitioners don’t get 50 toddlers for polio vaccination every day. We need single-dose vaccines which aren’t available in sufficient numbers. Also, administering this vaccine to a newborn requires experience and training and not all nurses in government hospitals are adequately trained to perform the task,” said Dr. S.M. Prasad, a city-based pediatrician, who requires over 50 single doses a month but is able to get only 15-20. Owing to the acute shortage, the price of a single-dose IPV vaccine here has gone up from Rs 330 to Rs 493 over the last three months.
