A group of women allegedly attacked health workers and vandalised a hospital in Alipurduar, West Bengal over a delay in vaccine distribution on Monday, June 28. The incident happened at Jasodanga Rural Hospital around 2 pm.
Women in the district had turned up in large numbers following an announcement by the state health department about the launch of a special vaccination drive for mothers of children below the age of 12 years.
The women claimed that they queued up since morning, reported India Today.
No Health Workers Arrived
As they waited in the heavy rain for the vaccination drive to start, health workers did not arrive till 11.30 AM.
Though the vaccination drive began at 11.45 AM, several women alleged that the process was slow as it took 20-25 minutes for health workers to vaccinate a beneficiary.
People waiting outside the hospital in the rain became restless and started pelting stones at the healthcare staff.
Doctors, Nurses Fled The Hospital
As chaos erupted, doctor and nurses reportedly fled the hospital. The hospital premises which was already overcrowded was then vandalised by the women who broke down the hospital door.
One of the health workers sustained a minor injury and the vaccination drive was stopped for some time.
On receiving the information, police rushed to the hospital. Health workers complained that there were no female police officers in the hospital. The vaccination drive started after the assurance from the police.
The Logical Indian Take
With the vaccination drives speeding up in several states of the country, challenges to vaccinate every citizen persists. It is the duty of the authorities tasked with organising such camps to ensure COVID-appropriate behaviour including social distancing is followed during the process.
Additionally, appropriate measures should be taken to counsel the beneficiaries about the inoculation procedure to spread awareness and instill confidence especially at a time when vaccine hesitancy is rampant in remote areas of India.