Chennai,  The Tamil Nadu Public Health Department has suspended a pharmacist at an Urban Primary Health Centre (UPHC) at Tirupur for allegedly diverting vaccines meant for the UPHCs to inoculate workers of three private garment factories, a statement said on Friday.

The incident occurred on June 5.

The Directorate of Public Health (DPH), in the statement, said that its Deputy Director, Dr Jagdeesh Kumar, had conducted an inquiry into the incident based on media reports, and on the basis of the findings, the suspension of the pharmacist was ordered. Disciplinary proceedings were also initiated against him.

The Tirupur corporation officials had allegedly used around 800 Covaxin doses which were meant for PHCs to vaccinate workers and employees of three export units without informing the medical officers of the UPHCs concerned.

The Deputy Director of Public Health has, in his investigation. found that the pharmacist had received the vaccine doses from the office of the Deputy Director of Health Services but handed them over to the corporation officials without informing the Health Department.

The corporation is also facing flak over its decision to employ nurses from private hospitals to administer vaccination which is not permissible and the Health Department has already sought an explanation on this.