Coimbatore: City-based VGM Hospital, which entered the Guinness Book of World Records for mobilising over 13,500 registered participants on World Hepatitis Day held here on July 28 last, will launch its free 'hepatitis B vaccination project for children on January 17.
The first dose of the vaccine, out of the targeted 10,000, will be administered from that date, Dr V G Mohanprasad, Chairman of the hospital, told reporters here on Thursday.
Dr Varaprasad Reddy, Chairman, Sanofi Group has provided 10,000 doses of vaccine free of cost to the hospital to administer the vaccine, for which a list is being prepared, under the project, jointly organised by the hospital and Rotary Club of Coimbatore East, free immunization will be provided to those who have never been vaccinated for hepatitis B and are awaiting the approvals from School principals, parents and District Education Officer, other officials and Collector, he said.
Subsequently, the hospital will arrange further vaccinations at a very highly subsidised rate of Rs 50 per vaccination (actual cost of about Rs 150) to new recipients and to second dose recipients, Mohanprasad said.
Since there was a ban on conducting camps for immunization programmes, the project would be conducted at VGM hospital or any other approved location by the administration, he said.
