HYBRID EVENT: You can participate in person at Singapore or Virtually from your home or work.

5th Edition of

International Public Health Conference

March 19-21, 2026 | Singapore

IPHC 2023

Best practices and challenges of COVID-19 vaccination. An experience from a tertiary care centre in India

Speaker at International Public Health Conference 2023 - Gopal Ashish Sharma
Indira Gandhi Medical College, India
Title : Best practices and challenges of COVID-19 vaccination. An experience from a tertiary care centre in India

Abstract:

Best Practice is defined as, “An intervention that has shown evidence of effectiveness in a particular setting and is likely to be replicable to other situations.” India launched its nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive on 16th January 2021, & Himachal Pradesh (HP), initiated the drive simultaneously. COVID-19 Vaccination centre of I.G. Medical college Shimla is continuously administering the vaccines to the beneficiaries to date. The centre had worked on the principle of ‘Zero tolerance’ to the dose wastage. More than 2500 ‘wastage’ doses of COVISHIELD were utilised saving more than 5 lakh INR (6131 USD) notionally at our centre. Most advanced AEFI management centre was established at the centre with continuous availability of an anaesthetist for any severe AEFI on all sessions. More than 100 high risk beneficiaries were vaccinated at the centre from across the regions of the state. During peak rush hour sessions, the centre was able to vaccinate beneficiaries in least possible waiting time (10 Beneficiaries in 10 min). Dedicated staff at the centre supported community members by booking online slots also. Our Centre had administered 41,297 vaccine doses with nil wastage encompassing 560 sessions utilising 3879 (10-dose) vials till 30th November, 2022.

Audience Take Away Notes

  • Audience can learn, assimilate and disseminate the management skills involving creative thinking, motivation, problem solving, teamwork, during the troubled times. When there was huge demand of vaccine amidst the severe brunt of second wave of COVID-19 pandemic with significant mortality and morbidity across India, our center at premier institute of the state not only followed and practiced the zero tolerance to dose wastage and at the same time administered maximum possible doses durin sessions ensuing second wave. We were a preferred centre of the vaccination and the centre got media coverage on reputed national television channel too
  • Any public health initiatives are primarily focused to address objective of health, and this presentation would highlight how one can reach the most needy one by implementing small managerial things as a standard routine practice for two years
  • To some extent in a teaching as an exceptional model of management during crisis
  • This provide a practical solution to a problem that could simplify or make a designer’s job more efficient
  • This improve the accuracy of a design, or provide new information to assist in a design problem
  • Classic example of staff from different sections of an institution working and delivering together for larger cause

Biography:

Dr. Gopal Ashish Sharma had completed his Masters MD (Community Medicine) as distinction holder in 2018 & served for 19 Years. He is an editorial board member of PLOS ONE journal since November,2021.  He worked as a State Program Officer (NHM), remain attached as “Officer on Special duty” to the Secretary Health Govt of HP, for containment of COVID-19. He is on panel of State Trainer of Trainees (ToT) for HP- Universal Screening of NCDs under the Ayushman Bharat- by GOI and “Eat Right Toolkit” Health & Wellness Centers- program by Government of India.

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