Chemists threaten to join lockdown, seek Covid-19 vaccination on priority

Chemists have threatened to join the lockdown after their requests to be treated as essential services workers for vaccination was not accepted by the government. The medical devices makers’ industry body, too, has written to the NITI Aayog seeking vaccination on priority.

An organisation representing around 940,000 chemists on Thursday said, “Vaccinate chemists with priority, else all 9.4 lakh chemists are ready to join corona lockdown.” Jagannath Shinde, president of the chemists lobby All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), said despite dangers every chemist has been working to maintain the availability of essential medicines.

The AIOCD said its members may join the lockdown, as they were “sidelined while considering vaccination priority”. Rajiv Singhal, AIOCD general secretary, told Business Standard that about 5 million people would have to be vaccinated. “Around 675 of our members have died due to Covid-19,” Singhal added.

The Association of Indian Medical Devices Industry (AiMED) too wrote a letter to VK Paul, member health of NITI Aayog, on Wednesday requesting priority allocation of vaccines to employees of medical devices companies. It has mentioned that its earlier requests did not receive any response.