27th Oct 2020 12:10:AM Editorials
Eastern Sentinel Arunachal News

Even if there are no specific dates yet as to when the Covid-19 vaccine is actually going to arrive, extracting political mileage over its mass delivery has started in the country. As of now, leading the show is the BJP, who in its election manifesto for Bihar has promised that if elected to power, there will be free vaccines for all in that state. Along with kicking off a political storm as regards to why an issue which is as much a humanitarian problem as a health-related one should be made a tool for electoral gains, questions are also being raised over its admissibility vis-à-vis the Model Code of Conduct. There is no point in measuring the ‘free vaccine promise’ through the microscope of electoral ethics as such thing(s) become normal affairs during any election time. Rather, it will be more relevant to have a glimpse of the gigantic task that awaits the nation- inoculation of the entire adult segment of a 130+ crore population.

If all the news doing the rounds are to be believed, Central government has set aside Rs 50,000 crore for the national Covid vaccination programme, with an assurance that there will be no shortage of additional funds. But the enormousness of the complexity and extent of the implementation part is something that goes beyond this financial assurance. As per public health experts who have been part of the currently available vaccination programmes, to make the Covid-19 vaccine absolutely free, it might be necessary to bring it under the flagship Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) which provides free vaccines for nine diseases at national level under the National Health Mission and this inclusion will necessarily mean quite an extra amount of work load. If this is assumed as the plan's first part, the second will be prioritization- which segments are to be chosen in terms of degrees of vulnerability. The third, which concerns reaching out to the length and breadth of the country will perhaps be the most-challenging task. Without doubt, for Arunachal Pradesh and the NE this problem will take a greater proportion compared to the mainland due to inherent infra constraints. Moreover, it will be an absolute necessity to create cold-chain logistics, already a major drawback in the state and the NE within the shortest possible time, but for which it will only lead to a failure. It also needs to be taken into account that responsibilities don’t end with giving the shot only, the follow-up duties such as post-vaccination community-level check-ups, monitoring of adverse side-effects, if any etc. requiring huge manpower will be vital too.

It’s time to bury politics, concentrate and work hard in making the Covid vaccination successful. Last but not least, it must be made free for one and all.


Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

<< Back to News List