Dr Mansukh Mandaviya releases reports of Institute for Competitiveness highlighting covid vaccination prog

The reports acknowledge the significant challenges faced by the Indian government, of delivering and administering vaccines

Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare released two reports of the Institute for Competitiveness (part of the global network of the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness and affiliated to Harvard Business School).

These reports titled ‘COVID-19-India’s Vaccine Development Story’ and ‘India’s COVID–19 Vaccination Administration Journey’ highlight the crucial aspects that have contributed to the success of India’s COVID-19 vaccine development and administration efforts, which includes manufacturing of indigenous vaccines, sturdy and timely procedures and protocols for approvals that ensured the safe administration of vaccinations. The reports have compiled significant crucial information and experiences that can serve as learning for future pandemic management and public health issues.

The reports acknowledge the significant challenges faced by the Indian government, of delivering and administering vaccines to a majority of 1.3 billion people of India who were eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines; working with the state governments to ensure free and equitable distribution and effective management of vaccine eagerness along with addressing vaccine hesitancy that was prevalent in certain pockets of the country. They also appreciate the massive efforts considering the size and heterogeneity of a country like India. The phased approach of India’s vaccination programme, prioritising populations of those who were in greatest need, including the healthcare professionals, frontline workers, elders, and those with morbidities, have been highlighted as exemplars in these reports.

The reports also identify efforts towards training and skilling of healthcare professionals to manage adverse events during vaccination; digital scheduling of vaccination sessions and certification post-vaccination through the CoWin digital platform as global best practices that other countries can learn from India. The measures taken to ensure social distancing and efforts of all stakeholders and partners have been recognised. The documents also study the quality of vaccination sessions; cold-chain infrastructure and logistics performance, and real-time monitoring and feedback through control rooms that were set at national and sub-national levels all for smooth management of the vaccination process.