Chennai,  The Tamil Nadu Health Department would conduct the next mega Covid vaccination camp on October 30 at 50,000 centres across the state, Health Minister Ma Subramanian said on Tuesday.

 

As Subramanian and state Health Secretary, Dr. J. Radhakrishnan would be attending a meeting called by Union Health Minister Mansukh L. Mandaviya at New Delhi on Wednesday to apprise states of the next course of action regarding vaccination as the country has crossed the 100 crore mark already, the state has a list of demands ready.

Talking to IANS, Subramanian said: "We have chalked out our list of demands to be presented before the Union Health Minister. We will definitely demand 10 lakh doses of Covaxin as there are several people across the state who have taken the first dose of Covaxin."

He also said that the state government requires a vaccine depot to store the vaccine and vehicles to transport them across the state. He said that the state has 11 new medical colleges and would elevate these medical colleges as district headquarters hospitals, adding they have also proposed 19 district headquarters hospitals.

"We will request Rs 50 crore for each district headquarter hospital," he said.

The minister also said that the state government would request the Centre to provide sanctions for 800 more medical seats in the newly-formed 11 medical colleges in the state.

"Earlier only 850 seats were sanctioned and the inspection committee constituted by the Government of India had visited these colleges and urged the state to complete the infrastructure required in four of these new colleges and we have completed it. The inspection committee is satisfied with this after they have conducted a virtual inspection," he said.

Meanwhile, Subramanian called upon the people to be on guard during the festive season as Diwali celebrations has already commenced in the state.

He also said that the students attending colleges could be administered vaccines as the Indian Council of Medical Research has allowed this.