Kerala government asks pregnant women to sign consent form for vaccination

KOCHI: The state government is asking pregnant women seeking Covid-19 vaccination to sign a consent form declaring that they have been made aware of its possible side-effects and are getting inoculated of their own free will. The central government has not introduced any such consent form while Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) said it is not aware of any other state having such a requirement for pregnant women.A top Kerala health official added that pregnant women will be given jabs even if they don't sign the consent form.
The state government is probably doing it with the best of intentions, but several experts said that, in practical terms, the consent form may only serve to increase vaccine hesitancy among potential recipients.

The vaccine recipient (pregnant woman) and the person accompanying her to the vaccination centre have to sign the consent form for either Covishield or Covaxin. "I am aware of the complications of Covid-19 disease and the safety of vaccination. Doctors/health workers have made me aware of the possible side effects of vaccination. I am ready to receive the Covid-19 vaccination with self-confidence and full consent," it reads.
“The idea behind introducing an informed consent form is to ensure that a pregnant woman is well informed about the Covid vaccination and she is opting for it on her own will. However, it has also been decided that no one will be denied vaccination for refusing to sign the consent form,” said Dr V P Paily, state coordinator of Kerala government’s Confidential Review of Maternal Deaths (CRMD) committee.
Dr M G Sivadas, nodal officer for vaccination in Ernakulam, said the plan is to vaccinate all pregnant women at the earliest. "However, due to vaccine shortage, the vaccine drive has slowed down," he said. In Kerala, the vaccination campaign drive for pregnant women -- Mathrukavacham -- has begun at the district level on July 16, but there is not much enthusiasm among them to take the jab due to the surge in new cases and the rush among the general population for vaccines.
For example, in Ernakulam district, where there are approximately 25,000-30,000 pregnant women, around 3,500 have been vaccinated in government vaccination centres and another 3,000-plus at special camps for them in private hospitals. The vaccine reluctance is more prevalent among pregnant women in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam.
Obstetrics and gynaecologists said this reluctance had more to do with overall concerns related to pregnancy. They said they are getting several queries daily about the safety of vaccines from pregnant women and those seeking infertility treatment.
“We have no information about any other state asking for consent from pregnant women before vaccinating them but it has not affected the vaccination drive. Our constant effort is to educate pregnant women, those seeking IVF treatment and their families that they should get vaccinated at the earliest, as the present available data show that vaccines are much safer than getting Covid infection during pregnancy,” said Dr Fessy Louis, vice-president, FOGSI.