Experts are of the opinion that the reduction in allocation of funds hints that the Centre has done its job of providing free vaccines across the country and people may have to shell out for booster shots
A health worker administers the third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to an elderly person at a government hospital in Hyderabad. AP
The proposal of Rs 5,000 crore COVID-19 vaccination Budget for this year hints that the Centre has done its job of providing free vaccines across the country and people may have to shell out for booster shots, according to experts.
For 2021-22, the actual budget for COVID-19 vaccination was pegged at Rs 35,000 crore, which was later revised to Rs 39,000 crore. This year, the budget has been pared down to Rs 5,000 as India is on the verge of vaccinating the majority of its population.
About Rs 20,000 crore has been spent so far out of Rs 35,000 crore, allocated earlier, on the vaccination drive, the government had said in the last Parliament session.
So far, more than 167 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the covering, covering around 95 per cent of the total adult population with at least one dose and 75 per cent of the adults with double dose.
The central government so far has bought the vaccines in the country and supplied to the states for free in government hospitals.
However, according to health experts, the move to allocate Rs 5,000 crore could be a signal that the government has played its role of providing free vaccination across the country, ensuring a good public response by saving as many lives from the deadly disease.
Now, receiving booster doses — apart from vaccinating the most vulnerable population with top-up shots and teenagers with two shots – could be the sole choice of an individual.
In fact, last week, the government had granted full authorisation to Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, which means that the COVID-19 vaccines may now be privately purchased from clinics and hospitals, similar to other vaccines. However, they need to be registered under the CoWin platform.
“The move of granting full authorisation clearly signals that the government is now convinced that it has immunised the entire eligible population with a necessary two-dose vaccine. They have also given boosters to the vulnerable population,” said Dr K Srinath Reddy, a public health expert, and president of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).
Reddy said he believes that the “core responsibility of the government to vaccinate the general public with life-saving jabs has been completed, as per the current assessment of the situation.”
“Those who want boosters can buy themselves from private providers,” he said. Several experts in NTAGI have said that boosters “may not be required for all” as India’s COVID-19 situation is different from the West. It would be up to the individual to opt for the booster after the vaccination programme is over, he added.
NK Arora, chief of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), told News18.com in an interview that there is a gap in “our understanding of the science behind boosters”.
“The value of booster doses is coming under attack,” he had said earlier while hinting that there is no clarity on whether they should be administered at all, if yes, to whom they should be given.
Another NTAGI member Dr JP Mulliyal also argues against the use of booster doses.
Rs 5,000 crore enough for jabbing remaining population
According to health and public policy experts, the budget of Rs 5,000 crore may prove sufficient for the remaining primary doses (first and second dose), precautionary doses for the 60-plus and the 12-17 age group.
Epidemiologist Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, who agrees that Rs 5,000 crore is “enough” for pending 25 crore doses besides inoculating the population with precautionary doses, said, “We must consider that the government has already paid for Biological E’s Corbevax in advance for 30 crore doses.”
Also, the given budget can be used for extending vaccination drive among teenagers.
“The government can use the given budget for the remaining population and perhaps, may extend it to the 12-15 age group,” Dr Reddy from PHFI added.
A senior government official told News18.com that the budget allotted is enough for the pending population and the health ministry can always request for an additional funds citing emergency.
“If required, the budget can always be allotted in the middle of the financial year too,” he added.
“For instance, in the future, if some other variant comes, then the government can launch a special package under those circumstances.”
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