Private sector players await govt instructions on how to contribute to COVID-19 vaccine roll out

As per a FICCI survey, 81 per cent of respondents from private healthcare industry are willing to inoculate front line workers in local areas, 75 per cent willing to inoculate their local communities, 70 per cent willing to allocate manpower in semi-urban/rural areas for vaccination and 94 per cent willing to impart training for inoculation

As the second dry run of India’s COVID-19 vaccination roll-out is being planned,  players from the private sector are on standby and conveyed readiness to play their role. The dry run already includes some private health facilities as well as public health facilities (District Hospital/Medical Colleges), and rural or urban outreach sites across 700+ districts of all States/UTs.

In a statement from FICCI, Dr Alok Roy, Chair, FICCI Health Services Committee and Chairman, Medica Group of Hospitals said, “Given that we are on the verge of launching the largest ever and a complex vaccination programme, effective partnerships and seamless collaborations will be pivotal for its success. We hope that the government has taken note of the intent and commitment from private sector players for accelerating the process of targeted vaccination across the country.”

The statement reiterated that the private sector has been showing their willingness and intent to support and augment government’s capacity across the value chain of COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration. The National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 (NEGVAC) had met industry representatives last November to assess private sector capabilities and capacities for the procurement, distribution, and inoculation of the COVID-19 vaccine.

FICCI has reportedly submitted a detailed plan outlining what support the private sector, including healthcare, can provide, through the FICCI-EY Strategy paper on ‘Protecting India – Public Private Partnership for vaccinating against COVID-19’, submitted to NEGVAC last month. The paper was also released by Dr V K Paul during a session on Vaccines at the FICCI AGM on December 12, 2020.

The FICCI-EY paper, that was developed in consultation with various stakeholders from healthcare, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, logistics, cold chain and allied sectors, states that India would need 1.3-1.4 lakh vaccination centers, 1.0 lakh healthcare professionals (as inoculators) and 2.0 lakh support staff/ volunteers to support government’s mass-inoculation programme.

The paper made the point that as the private healthcare sector was responsible for almost 70 per cent of healthcare delivery in the country, it can adequately supplement the physical and human infrastructure supply in key capacity constrained regions, specifically in urban and semi-urban areas.

A FICCI survey conducted in collaboration with EY and NABH, showed that 81 per cent of survey respondents from private healthcare industry are willing to inoculate front line workers in local areas and 75 per cent are willing to inoculate their local communities, 70 per cent are willing to allocate manpower in semi-urban/rural areas for vaccination and 94 per cent are willing to impart training for inoculation.

FICCI notes that private hospitals have dedicated up to 40 per cent-80 per cent of their bed capacity for treating COVID-19 patients and supplemented government efforts of scaling up testing by contributing to 45 per cent of the testing capacity in India. The association and members have been working closely with the Government, the Empowered Committees as well as the States to help forge a strong response to the pandemic over past several months.

The private players are now waiting for a direction from the government on how to contribute towards the massive vaccination programme, in national interest, as per the FICCI statement.