The CRPF has ordered an enquiry after expired polio vaccines were allegedly administered to some infants at a medical camp organised by a private doctor at the campus of Special Duty Group (SDG) at Pushp Vihar in Saket here on Saturday.
The SDG mans the outer cordon of Prime Minister’s security ring both at his official residence as well as during outdoor functions. The wife of a jawan, whose child was ‘immunised’ with such vaccine, has also written to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah complaining about the incident through communication that was also sent to the paramilitary chief AP Maheshwari, officials said.
“Immunisation program was not official. Around 50 children of SDG/CRPF who were due for vaccination could not be administered the vaccines due to lockdown. Parents of these children had tied up with a clinic that was facilitated into the camp to vaccinate after observing Covid-19 protocols,” a CRPF spokesperson said.
“It is learnt that four doses out of 116 got expired on 30.04.2020. An enquiry has been ordered by CRPF Medical Directorate and report is likely to be received soon and findings of the report will be taken to its logical end as per the facts,” the spokesperson added.
The private clinic was headed by Dr RK Sinha, a paediatrician who was earlier associated with Safdarjung Hospital and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, officials said.
Preliminary probe has revealed that no negative implication has been found on the children immunised with the expired vaccines. The Medical Directorate has gathered information from the manufacturers/pharma companies that have suggested that the vaccines do not expire immediately after the expiry date and are effective for a few weeks.
At least four vaccination cards had labels detailing lot number, manufacturing date and expiry date of vaccines that had expired on April 30.
Reports said the commandant of the SDG Harsh Vardhan had allegedly roped in Dr Sinha’s clinic for the vaccination programme through which the parents were charged Rs 300 each for the various vaccine doses including the Polio vaccine. Vardhan had not taken permission of the Medical Directorate of the CRPF or the local authorities which was clearly an act of indiscipline, sources said, adding the official stand claiming the parents organised the camp inside the SDG campus is misplaced as officials decide on such issues and jawans do not have any say in the decision making process.
The spokesperson said the SDG had approached the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) to conduct the vaccination programme but they refused citing preoccupation with Covid-19 management.
