Janakpuri Warehouse Cold Storage Shortage Halts 1.27 Lakh Rabies Vaccine Vials
A consignment of 1,27,223 vials of anti-rabies vaccine has remained undelivered to the Central Warehouse at the Super Specialty Hospital in Janakpuri, West Delhi, because the facility lacks adequate cold storage capacity. This delay has triggered a dire shortage of rabies vaccines across Delhi government hospitals, leaving the majority of public healthcare facilities without stock.
The Pune-based vaccine manufacturer, Serum Institute of India, detailed the storage bottleneck in a letter sent to the Central Procurement Agency (CPA) on June 22. According to the letter, the manufacturer had kept the entire consignment ready for dispatch for a long time under a supply order issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on March 27.
The supply order required the vaccines to be delivered to the Central Warehouse at the Janakpuri hospital. However, when Serum Institute representatives approached the warehouse, the storekeeper informed them that the consignment could not be accepted because there was no cold storage space available.
The Central Warehouse at the Janakpuri Super Speciality Hospital is responsible for procuring, storing, and distributing medical supplies, diagnostics, and medicines. It is also tasked with maintaining vaccines that require temperature-controlled storage, commonly known as the cold chain, to ensure they remain safe and effective. The anti-rabies vaccine requires strict temperature control to maintain its efficacy.
State health department sources confirmed that there is currently a severe shortage of rabies vaccines across Delhi government hospitals. While a few hospitals have managed to procure small quantities through local purchases, the majority of facilities currently have no stock.
In its letter, the Serum Institute requested the CPA, which is the nodal agency responsible for procuring medicines for Delhi's public healthcare facilities, to identify an alternative delivery location. The firm also requested a 20-day extension to the delivery timeline to complete the supply once a revised delivery point is confirmed.
The lack of vaccines comes at a critical time. In January, the Delhi government declared human rabies a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act to strengthen surveillance and prevent deaths. Official data shows Delhi recorded 51,773 dog bite cases in 2023, and 44,995 cases by August 2025.
