Skip to main content

India's vaccination policy 'to cost' poorest 20% households 43-86% of monthly income

Counterview Desk

Insisting on a time-bound, equitable vaccine policy to ensure universal access to a free vaccine before it is too late, public health practitioners and civil society members, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have said that India’s current pace Covid-19 vaccination drive will take 2.4 years to complete, warning, global epidemiologists feel it could take under a year before the virus may mutate making it difficult for current vaccines to contain the spread.
Endorsed by notable civil society members such as Jayati Ghosh, Jean Dreze, Ravi Duggal and Malini Aisola, the letter, which is based on analysis of India's vaccine policy by the top international NGO Oxfam India and the Forum of Medical Ethics Society (FMES), comes amidst claims by the Government of India launching the "world's largest vaccination drive."
The letter says, the live dashboard of the vaccination drive may provide real-time updates about the vaccination amidst the second wave of Covid-19 across India, but many states and Union Territories (UTs) are facing multi-dimensional challenges in implementing vaccination. It insists on the need to accelerate the pace of vaccination in India and put India on the post-covid recovery track by providing free and accessible vaccines is crucial.

An Oxfam note:

567 prominent public health practitioners, doctors, economists, workers unions, human rights groups, student groups, civil society organisations and concerned citizens in India have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demonstrate leadership in doing what it takes to address inequalities in supply to ensure vaccines reach the vulnerable and ramp up manufacturing to address shortages. 
The collective letter signed by organisations from 22 states and UTs across India have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove barriers to vaccine production through modes like a waiver of intellectual property rights to achieve universal coverage.
Amitabh Behar, Chief Executive Officer, Oxfam India said, “The support for India’s global ask for a patent waiver at World Trade Organisation (WTO) is growing. India’s government needs to show leadership domestically, by lifting patents to its own vaccine and follow its own National Vaccine Policy by ensuring equitable access to everyone to the vaccine but prioritizing the vulnerable and excluded.”

The extremely slow pace of vaccination in India is delaying the pandemic

Overall rates of vaccination are stalling, and shortages are expected to continue until at least July-end. The joint policy brief and analysis by Oxfam India and Forum for Medical Ethics Society (FMES) highlights the several flaws in India’s current COVID vaccination strategy, including failure to adequately explore compulsory licensing of the vaccine. The current policy of differential pricing for the Centre and states and pushing the states to the market for its vaccines, would force India’s poorer and more populous states to pay relatively more. Furthermore, vaccine allocations to states are also not in proportion of the emerging demand from those under 45 or the quantum of COVID cases.
Sunita Sheel, Secretary General, Forum for Medical Ethics Society said, “The Government of India’s approach to COVID-19 vaccine policy stands to be a mockery of Indian Federalism and will be remembered for decades to come for its lethal consequences to common people of India, particularly those at the margins. Given the current global order and deeply interconnected world, lack of access to vaccines anywhere around the world implies threat to global health security agenda. This can be averted only if government puts people first, that is, people over profit and power, NOW!”

COVID-19 Vaccine policy crippled with unfair prices and exclusion

Both Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech vaccine in private hospital will cost an Indian family with 3 adults Rs 3,600 for a full course of the Covishield vaccine or Rs 7,200 for Covaxin. For the poorest 20% of households, this burden will be 43% (Covishield) and 86% (Covaxin) of their monthly income, respectively. Indians are paying world’s highest vaccine prices despite providing significant funding and in-kind support for development of the vaccine and pre-clinical and clinical trials.
Successful vaccination drives are rooted in detailed district plans and social mobilization strategies to reach vulnerable communities; these are missing in this drive. The near complete reliance on on-line appointments for vaccination without providing walk-in facilities tends to exclude those who lack internet access, the elderly living alone, those with disability and populations such as homeless and pavement dwellers and those in institutions.
Only 15% rural households have access to the Internet and only 24% of India’s population has smartphones. A more targeted bottom-up approach is needed to ensure vaccination nearer to peoples’ habitations, especially in high coronavirus prevalence areas. The civil society has urged the Prime Minster to take the following actions to make vaccines accessible for all before it is too late:
  1. Ensure that the vaccine is purchased at true cost prices and provided free of charge to all
  2. Ensure its fair allocation which prioritizes at-risk groups, is sensitive to the existence of the digital divide and can reach the vulnerable where they are
  3. Be rooted in large scale vaccine procurement by the Central Government at regulated prices which do not financially cripple the finances of India’s states or pitch them against each other in the quest of scarce lifesaving vaccines
  4. Immediately enhance financial outlays to public health and do what it takes to make the above happen through all possible steps including compulsory licensing of vaccines and ramping up public sector vaccine manufacturing capacity, to strengthen the public health system to be better prepared for the potential next wave of the pandemic.
---
Click here for the letter/petition to the Prime Minister, here for the policy brief . Please read complete policy brief here

Comments

TRENDING

Junk food push causing severe public health crisis of obesity, diabetes in India: Report

By Rajiv Shah  A new report , “The Junk Push: Rising Consumption of Ultra-processed foods in India- Policy, Politics and Reality”, public health experts, consumers groups, lawyers, youth and patient groups, has called upon the Government of India to check the soaring consumption of High Fat Sugar or Salt (HFSS) foods or ultra-processed foods (UPF), popularly called junk food.

Avoidable Narmada floods: Modi birthday fete caused long wait for release of dam waters

Counterview Desk  Top advocacy group, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), has accused the Sardar Sarovar dam operators for once again acting in an "unaccountable" manner, bringing "avoidable floods in downstream Gujarat."  In a detailed analysis, SANDRP has said that the water level at the Golden Bridge in Bharuch approached the highest flood level on September 17, 2023, but these "could have been significantly lower and much less disastrous" both for the upstream and downstream areas of the dam, if the authorities had taken action earlier based on available actionable information.

From 'Naatu-Naatu' to 'Nipah-Nipah': Dancing to the tune of western pipers?

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD*  Some critics have commented that the ecstatic response of most Indians to the Oscar for the racy Indian song, “Naatu-Naatu” from the film, “RRR” reeks of sheer racism, insulting visuals and a colonial hangover. It was perhaps these ingredients that impressed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, one critic says.

Astonishing? Violating its own policy, Barclays 'refinanced' Adani Group's $8 billion bonds

By Rajiv Shah  A new report released by two global NGOs, BankTrack and the Toxic Bonds Network, has claimed to have come up with “a disquieting truth”: that Barclays, a financial heavyweight with a “controversial” track record, is deeply entrenched in a “disturbing” alliance with “the Indian conglomerate and coal miner Adani Group.”

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah*   The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Asset managers hold '2.8 times more equity' in fossil fuel cos than in green investments

By Deepanwita Gita Niyogi*  The world’s largest asset managers are far off track to meet the  2050 net zero commitments , a new study  released by InfluenceMap , a London-based think tank working on climate change and sustainability, says. Released on August 1, the Asset Managers and Climate Change 2023 report by FinanceMap, a work stream of InfluenceMap, finds that the world’s largest asset managers have not improved on their climate performance in the past two years.

Insider plot to kill Deendayal Upadhyay? What RSS pracharak Balraj Madhok said

By Shamsul Islam*  Balraj Madhok's died on May 2, 2016 ending an era of old guards of Hindutva politics. A senior RSS pracharak till his death was paid handsome tributes by the RSS leaders including PM Modi, himself a senior pracharak, for being a "stalwart leader of Jan Sangh. Balraj Madhok ji's ideological commitment was strong and clarity of thought immense. He was selflessly devoted to the nation and society. I had the good fortune of interacting with Balraj Madhok ji on many occasions". The RSS also issued a formal condolence message signed by the Supremo Mohan Bhagwat on behalf of all swayamsevaks, referring to his contribution of commitment to nation and society. He was a leading RSS pracharak on whom his organization relied for initiating prominent Hindutva projects. But today nobody in the RSS-BJP top hierarchy remembers/talks about Madhok as he was an insider chronicler of the immense degeneration which was spreading as an epidemic in the high echelons of th

Victim of 'hazardous' jobs, Delhi sanitary workers get two thirds of minimum wages

By Sanjeev Kumar*  Recently, the Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM) organized a Training of Trainers (ToT) Workshop for sewer workers and waste pickers from all across Delhi NCR. The workshop focused on bringing sanitation workers from different parts of Delhi to train them for organization building and to discuss their issues of minimum wage, contractual labour, regular jobs and social security.