SBI deficient service eclipses Patiala health department Covid vaccination drive
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in
Today health authorities in Patiala have organized a mega vaccination drive in the district. As per the health authorities plan, especially who are eligible for second dose were asked to take their second dose. A total 25,000 vaccination were allotted to different hospitals, NGO’s, organizations, institutions, so that residents don’t get harassed.
In today’s Covid vaccination mega drive, Lead Bank branch of State Bank of India (SBI), Mall Road Patiala (Old SBoP Head Office) also gets 150 Covishield injections for local residents, bank staff. The bank organizes the Covid vaccination drive at its dispensary.
But a total chaos occurred at SBI, Mall Road, Patiala during today’s Covid vaccination drive. This can be gauged from the fact that it took more than 5 hours for 150 Covid vaccines. Normally it takes 2 hours for 150 vaccines.
A person who went there to take Covid vaccine said” we reached there at around 12:20 pm and left without taking the vaccination at around 2.30 pm. The residents were forced to stand in queue for long hours. The network from where they are registering has low connectivity. At around 2-2:15 pm, the syringes were gone out of stock. They use “pick and choose policy” for vaccination. They even demanded photocopies of our Aadhar Card, which is against the government rules. How can they demand the photocopies of our personnel documents? Who is going to be responsible, if someone misuse our documents, as health authorities don’t demand at any other vaccination site? So, after wasting two hours in waiting , we left the vaccination camp without taking the vaccine.
When contacted the SBI Lead Bank chief manager he said” yes, the syringes were gone out of stock at around 2 PM, but we manage and administered 150 vaccines allotted to us, by 3 PM. On connectivity issue, he said “yes, we had some problem. The dispensary area has poor connectivity issue. But the Cowin portal is also has some issues.” When asked, then why they don’t get their registration work done at waiting area, if the selected place has poor connectivity issues, he said” we can’t do that, as registration is the part of vaccination drive, so both things will go simultaneously “
SBI deficient service eclipses Patiala health department Covid vaccination drive. When contacted the Civil surgeon Dr Prince Sodhi, he said “though we have some technical issues in Cowin portal, for around an hour, but we had ask all the concerned officials to register offline and do the vaccination drive. But it’s surprising that such a situation occurred at SBI Vaccination drive. I’ll personally check it and talk to the concerned bank officials, if they knew that a space has poor connectivity issue, why they keep that venue for registration. We are organizing camps at different locations, so that residents can get good service and don’t feel harassed. But deficient service is not acceptable, at any cost.”
July 30,2021
