The COVID-19 vaccines provided by China in grant to Nepal are being given to Indian businesspersons violating guidelines.
A doctor at the Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Teku said Indian businesspersons are thronging to Nepal and getting jabbed with Vero Cell vaccines provided by China.
China has donated 800,000 doses of the vaccine to Nepal.
The doctor said the Indians who do business with China may have come to Nepal to get jabbed as China has made getting Chinese vaccine mandatory for anyone entering China and India has not approved any Chinese vaccine.
"I was at the ticket counter. More than 10 Indians were in the line for vaccine. They created a ruckus when the hospital hesitated to give vaccine," the doctor claimed. "They speak Hindi and don't have a Nepali passport, and created a scene when documents were asked of them. Some of those who got inoculated were even talking with their near and dear ones in India over the phone asking them to come to Nepal for vaccination."
The hospital, however, did not accept its mistake and instead passed the buck saying the problem has arisen due to frequent changing of guidelines by the government. "The government at first said students studying in China and the businesspersons doing business in China should be given the vaccine. It then again said anybody above 40 can get the vaccine." Director at the Hospital Dr Sagar Rajbhandari told Setopati.
He added that those coming from India show cards issued by the embassy with Chinese texts illegible for the hospital staffers. "They quarreled with us when we grew suspicious and told them that the vaccine is not for them."
He claimed that Indians are getting the Chinese vaccine from other hospitals in the Kathmandu Valley as well and stressed that other hospitals should also raise the issue.
