With last-minute obstacles in the rollout of the much-awaited Covid mass vaccination getting cleared one by one across the world, hopes for the entire humanity are getting stronger. While the countries such as the UK, the US, Russia and many more in the West are busy streamlining their delivery operations, back home in India it’s still blurry in terms of a national timeline or the prices people have to cough out for getting the indispensable doses. From the news reports that made the rounds during the past couple of weeks, it appears that everything is currently stationed at the level of talks, be they Centre-States, inter-ministerial, intra-Health ministerial or so on. A common citizen is now subjected to a desperate urge to know how much progress has been made and specifically regarding two basic points- when things will start actually and what will be the financial implication. The first week of the last month of the most-disturbing year has provided no answer. Hopefully, the clouds disappear in the week ahead.
From the early days of the COVID vaccine making process when actions gathered pace across labs, both in the West and the country, there was a clamour that the life-saving doses must be made free in the country and it’s undeniable there is much weight in the proposition. Since independence, it has been the goal of the country to transform itself into a welfare state where there will be equitable distribution of the ‘basics’ necessary for sustenance of life. While much of this overall objective is yet to be realized, when it comes to health, more particularly public health, it’s hard to come to term but true that there are miles to go. The pandemic has exposed the actual standings of India’s public health infrastructure before the world and all major world health watchdogs have unanimously cried it’s natural when health spending in terms of GDP is so low. The common people, especially the poor have had this bitter taste during the last 8 months and if they now seek for a one-time free dose(s), will it be very illegitimate ? Of course the people who are affordable can make the purchase and option of it can be included in the final plan of action. But the arch must be on keeping the free route open and running and if it entails a heavy pressure on the exchequer, alternate financing routes can be weighed. It’s rather incomprehensible to notice that for funding election expenses of political parties, there exists the mechanism of electoral bonds, but when it comes to a grave national importance like COVID inoculation, very few among the stakeholders are vocal.
Make the vaccination free for the poor and charge the usual from those who can afford. Suffering from indecision at this stage is most unwarranted.

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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

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