Pune, 27th May 2021: The vaccination drive against COVID-19 is currently underway in many hospitals across Pune city. However, to ensure that elderly persons, orphans, HIV-positive, and other intellectually disabled people are not deprived of vaccinations, a ‘Vaccine on Wheels’ initiative is being implemented by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

Under the initiative, direct vaccination services will be provided to the above-said persons at their homes. In the first phase, five mobile vans will be available for 15 ward offices in the city. Mayor Murlidhar Mohol inaugurated five mobile vans to kick-start the vaccination programme.

Mohol said, “As per the order of the Central government, a vaccination drive against COVID-19 is being carried out at the municipal vaccination centres in Pune city. Till now, measures have been well planned everywhere. The response to the vaccination campaign has been overwhelming. We are also making an effort to get as many as possible doses of vaccines for Pune.”

“Till today, we were vaccinating everyone who came to the vaccination centres. But that excluded orphans, old age homes, the disabled, HIV positive children, intellectually challenged people who could not go out of their homes or institutions. The vaccine will now be administered to them under the ‘Vaccine on Wheels’ mobile van initiative”, he said.

Deputy Mayor Sunita Wadekar, PMC Leader of House Ganesh Bidkar, Municipal Commissioner Vikram Kumar, Additional Commissioner Rubal Agarwal, and Health Chief Ashish Bharti were also present on the occasion.

The ‘Vaccine on Wheels’ mobile van programme under CSR will be carried out by Jivika Healthcare Pvt Ltd and My Vaccine. Each mobile van will have one doctor, two nurses, one health registration assistant, one health social worker, one driver, and one ambulance with the After Events Following Immunization (AEFI) kit. The programme will be implemented across Pune city with the help of five mobile vans.