Karnataka: Over 6.5 lakh healthcare staff cleared to receive vaccine

KEY STORY

• Pankaj Kumar Pandey, commissioner, health and family welfare, said the number was close to 6.6 lakh as of Monday morning and that these people were found to be “eligible” for vaccination under the healthcare workers category as defined by the government of India.

• The number is likely to change again. “All those who register until January 12 will be eligible as the Centre has set a deadline for the final figures to be submitted on that date,” said Arundathi Chandrashekar, National Health Mission director (Karnataka).

• Talukwise data on distribution of healthcare workers registered up to Sunday (January 10) night, accessed by TOI, shows nearly 33% (2.1 lakh) of them are in Bengaluru Urban (including BBMP) and Rural districts.

• While more than 1.7 lakh or 26.6% of the total healthcare workers are specifically in the eight zones of BBMP, 29,026 are in Bengaluru Urban and another 9,317 are located in Bengaluru Rural district.

• In a pointer to how skewed healthcare infrastructure in the state is, the number of staff in BBMP limits alone is only 854 fewer than the number of such workers in 12 districts of North Karnataka put together.

• Aside from this, Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru and Belagavi together have nearly 16% (1 lakh) workers while the rest of them are divided between 25 districts.

  Drivers included

   

• The state government revealed there are various kinds of people categorised as healthcare workers. Broadly, there are seven categories: Medical officers; health and ICDS workers; nurses and supervisors; paramedical staff; support staff and students and others. And, there are 35 different types of workers spread across these seven categories.

• Of these seven categories, there are people of nine different roles under nurses and supervisors categories and eight under paramedical staff category, including lab technicians, ward boys, orderlies and pharmacists besides others.

• Those under the medical officers category include allopathic and Ayush doctors, dentists and those holding administrative posts in health facilities and institutions.

• Interestingly, drivers and security staff, sanitation workers and other support staff are also categorized as healthcare workers, given that they are essential to the functioning of hospitals. The others category includes scientific and research staff, clerical staff and any other health staff. All of them are eligible for the vaccine in the first phase.