Exclusive: Black marketing of vaccine in Silchar Civil, unauthorised centre running inside a chamber

By: Biswa Kalyan Purkayastha and Anirban Roy Choudhury

Covid is a tragedy. It has hit humankind as a catastrophe. Hundreds of thousands are dying all around the globe. In Barak Valley, it is no different. With more than 1500 active cases and almost two to three deaths every day, the situation is grim. Doctors, medical experts have all said, the only ray of hope is vaccination and more and more people must get vaccinated. However, old and young are waiting hours outside the vaccination centres for their first jab. Majority of them are returning empty-handed as like everywhere, there is a shortage of doses.

But while pandemic is a tragedy for most, for some, it is an opportunity that they cannot miss. Black marketing of vaccine doses is going inside the premises of Silchar Civil Hospital. The building of Additional Chief Medical and Health Officer within the SM Dev Civil Hospital compound has become a holy corner for the scamsters. In broad daylight, unauthorised vaccination is going on inside a room that is not in compliance with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare guidelines for a session site where vaccines must be administered.

According to a vegetable vendor, he has paid Rs 1000 to get vaccinated inside that room. This black marketing of doses is a greater tragedy than Covid itself.

Barak Bulletin’s correspondents were keeping an eye on that secret chamber near the storage inside Civil Hospital. The superintendent of Silchar Civil Hospital, Jiten Singha said that he has no information that any such vaccination centre is running. “That is the office of Additional Chief Medical and Health Officer and they are in charge of running the affairs. I know that there is a shortage of vaccines in the district and that is why around 100 employees of Civil Hospital are yet to get their first dose,” asserted Singha.

After observing the secret vaccination chamber for three days, today, Barak Bulletin’s correspondent questioned the officials involved in the vaccination drive at that centre. A list of 18 BSNL employees was sent by ADC Health, Sumit Sattavan, the officials at the office of Additional Chief Medical and Health Officer initially said, that is why the vaccination drive was going on today. However, three vials were opened.

When questioned why three vials were opened if they had to vaccinate only 18 people, the nurse who was inoculating the doses, AHM, Sarbani Roy said, “Because there is always a wastage of around 10%.” It is worth mentioning here that the state wastage is around 5% only and ADC Sumit Sattavan, during one press conference a month back, said the wastage in Cachar is near about 2%. From each vial, 10 people are vaccinated. For a list of 18 people why were three vials opened, even after considering a 10% wastage, it remains a mystery.

Soon it came to notice that random people who were not even employed with the BSNL were also getting the jabs at that unauthorised centre. This is not a vaccination centre, and if it was only opened for BSNL employees, how did the general public get to know about the centre and why were doses being given to them is another mystery.

A senior employee from BSNL said out of the 18, five did not turn up to get the doses, so, it becomes 13. Three empty vials were kept on the table inside the secret chamber. So who are the other 17 who got the jabs? There were close to 50 empty 0.5 ML syringes lying around signaling that the number of doses could be more than 30. There were empty bottles of Covaxin vaccine thrown around the secret chamber.

The nurse, Sarbani Nath said, “I opened three vials today and around five vials yesterday. Whoever entered the room and asked for the vaccine, I pushed it to them. I don’t know who they are and where they came from. I don’t even know where the vials came from. Those were also given to me by the people working here. I know them by face but I do not know them by name. They give me the vials, I open them, and push vaccine doses. That is my job, rest I am unaware.” She later took back her statement and said instead of five vials yesterday it could be more or less, “I don’t remember how many vials I opened” is her final statement.

She took the name of Swarnajit Paul, who according to the records is a data entry operator. She first said, “Swarnajit Paul sends the people in,” then she changed the statement, “I thought Swarnajit Paul sent them in because he got a few in once or twice…”

Paul’s logic is different. He said, under waste management programme, this centre was running and the people who randomly came and asked them for doses, they gave it to them. Waste management is a programme initiated by the Director Health Services. Under this programme, the officials are supposed to collect unused doses in open vials and accumulate them in centres where after spot registration, they can use the unused doses in open vials. It is clearly mentioned in the order that no fresh vials should be opened for this purpose as it was to ensure “less or zero wastage.” According to Swarnajit Paul, this begins at 4 and goes on till the time the doses are in store.

Yesterday, more than 50 individuals got vaccinated in that so-called “waste management site” and that too before 4:00 pm and today, there were three empty vials before 3:00 pm. The fact that there is a waste management site operational inside the Additional Chief Medical and Health Officer’s office is something that should have been declared to the general public. “It was informed to the District Media Expert, Suman Choudhury and why he did not communicate it to all is something that needs to be asked to him,” said Swarnajit Paul.

The vials are sanctioned by Prabhat Kumar Sinha Head Clerk/Head Assistant. The secret chamber is next to his cabin and when asked why he was sanctioning fresh vials for vaccination at the unauthorised centre next to his cabin, he said, “These vials are sanctioned for Civil Urban Session Sites, but handed over for vaccination at the chamber next to his cabin.” He was illogical at best and fraudulent at worse and whatever he was saying made no sense. This is the same Prabhat Sinha because of whose negligence vials were wasted at the beginning of the vaccination drive and Cachar became privy to national shame.

Statistical Investigator, Nilanjan Gupta and Rathi Nath’s names were also taken by the people present at the vaccination centre. All of this was happening few feet away from the cabin of Additional Chief Medical and Health Officer, Dr. PK Roy. He said, “I am shocked and surprised with whatever the media has just unveiled.” Wait a minute, media unveiled? This was happening at his office! “I was unwell, had to undergo dialysis and that is why I had no clue what was happening inside. Today, when I entered my office and asked why the area was so crowded, I was replied that there is vaccination going on as per the order of ADC Health Sumit Sattavan and Director Health and Family Welfare. I will look into the matter and initiate a probe if necessary,” responded Roy.

The officers and staff at that unauthorised centre were caught looking London and talking Tokyo. Whatever each of them was saying did not add up. In fact, it pointed towards a big mismatch. Actually, the officials were manufacturing crisis. The vials were sanctioned for the respective session sites where hundreds wait for hours. Out of the vials sanctioned, a few of them are kept for that secret chamber. Inside the secret chamber, people allegedly walk in after paying money to the officials involved in this black marketing or vaccine scam. One such secret chamber got unveiled today, but there is no guarantee that there aren’t more chamber of secrets.

At times, without getting the jab, people get sms from the Health and Family Welfare stating that they have been vaccinated. Is that also a part of the larger scam? “I have asked Additional CMHO to enquire and report till morning on the issue,” said ADC Health Sumit Sattavan where the buck stops.

How much money they were charging in exchange for the doses is something that remains unknown. Many said the people who were getting the alleged wastage management doses were “relatives of staff”. The vegetable vendor who paid Rs 1000 for him and another Rs 1000 for his wife, are no relative of any staff. Also, there must be a waiting room in each and every vaccination session site where the beneficiaries must wait after getting their jab. The doctors will check for any side effects and if there is something major, the beneficiary must be sent to a hospital.

The chamber where vaccines were inoculated hardly has space for one chair forget the waiting room. The vials were simply thrown outside the door. There was no trash can for medical waste management and used syringes were kept inside a bin bag many lying outside on the floor. If it is a centre, officially open for waste management, why is it so informal, unhygienic, and in shambolic condition, deep inside the subpart of head clerk, Prabhat Sinha’s office? This calls for a proper investigation as per the law of the land.