Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 12: In response to a year-long study conducted at SKIMS, Soura, highlighting the low vaccination coverage for Hepatitis B among Health Care Personnel (HCP), the hospital has taken proactive measures to address the issue.
The SKIMS administration, in this regard, has made the Hepatitis-B vaccine readily available for the staff, and the Heads of the Departments have been directed to ensure timely vaccination for their subordinate staff.
This development follows the report by Excelsior, which shed light on the concerning vaccination practices regarding Hepatitis B within the hospital.
To facilitate the vaccination process, the Medical Superintendent of SKIMS has issued a notice, informing all concerned Heads of the Departments that the vaccine can be obtained from the SKIMS Drug Counter, while the staff members have been asked to reach out to the Medical Officer (OPD) during office hours for more.
The study, which was reported by Excelsior titled ‘A cross-sectional study to assess the vaccination practices regarding Hepatitis B among health care personnel of a tertiary care hospital in Kashmir’ and published in the ‘International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health’ revealed alarming statistics, with 20.8% of the 450 participating HCPs stating that the hospital does not provide the vaccine.
Furthermore, 49% of unvaccinated participants claimed to take necessary precautions, while over 20% admitted to being unaware of the availability of the Hepatitis B vaccine.
Out of the total sample size, comprising 450 HCPs, 164 were doctors, 174 were nursing staff, 82 were from the Laboratory staff, and 30 belonged to the sanitation and laundry departments.
The study also highlighted that only 34.9% of HCPs received the Hepatitis B vaccination, with doctors exhibiting the highest coverage rate at 55.5%, followed by technicians at 25.6%, and nurses at 23.6%.
Additionally, the study noted that urban HCPs had higher uptake of the vaccine compared to their rural counterparts, potentially due to the greater accessibility of the vaccine in private sectors within urban areas, as it is not provided within the institute and must be purchased by the HCPs.
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