[COVID-19] Experimental door-to-door vaccination to be conducted in Maharashtra without seeking Centre's approval, Bombay High Court told

The Maharashtra government informed the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that it will not be seeking the Centre's approval for conducting door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination on an experimental basis for the elderly and persons with disabilities (Dhruti Kapadia & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors.)..The statement by Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni comes after the Bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice GS Kulkarni yesterday expressed its displeasure at the State's earlier stance that it was willing to conduct door-to-door vaccination once the Centre gives its approval. .Maharashtra government seeks Centre's approval for experimental door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination; Bombay High Court displeased."Where do you get that approval is required from the Centre? Did Bihar, Kerala take approval? And 'health' is a State subject. Do you take Centre's approval for every act?" the Court had asked on Tuesday. .The AG today submitted that the State government has proposed to run the door to door vaccination drive on an experimental basis without seeking the Centre's approval. The drive is proposed to begin from the district of Pune, he added..Pune was chosen to start the drive since the district had recently conducted a drive for students who were to go abroad, the AG explained..The mechanism adopted then was to get responses from eligible students through email, following which a list of candidates were prepared for the drive, the Court was told. .Taking cue from this successful drive, the AG informed that the civic authorities of Pune district were going to draft an email to which eligible candidates for the door to door vaccination programme can respond. .The AG added that if the Pune model is successful, the State will extend the door to door vaccination programme to other districts as well. He also assured that the State government will deal with this issue with extreme urgency. .Interestingly, the AG has also sought for an audience with the Bench in the Chief Justice's chambers to apprise the Court about certain concerns raised by the administration in the matter.."The reason I want it in the chamber is that whatever I say in the open will get reported in the media. I do not want a situation of panic amongst citizens regarding the vaccines", he explained..The Court was hearing a plea seeking door-to-door COVID-19 vaccination for citizens above 75 years of age and those who are specially-abled or bed-ridden..In the course of the hearing, the Court also asked the State to reconsider the condition imposed for the provision of a certificate from a treating doctor that the concerned beneficiary is not likely to have Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI). .The Bench has expressed concern that this condition may discourage citizens from approaching for vaccination. ."We hope and pray that you do not press for the doctor to give his undertaking. In a critical operation, the hospital takes the patient or his relative's undertaking. Not the doctor's undertaking. Don't give this impractical condition that no one approaches for vaccination," Chief Justice Datta said. .Chief Justice Datta also mused that the Maharashtra government was possibly being too cautious on the AEFI issue. .Referring to newspaper reports, Chief Justice Datta asked the Maharashtra government to consider the successful vaccination drive carried out by the State of Tripura, which was conducted in a hilly terrain and has seen about 80% of the population being vaccinated so far. ."Ask your officers to draw inspiration from these reports," Chief Justice Datta urged.