World’s largest adult vaccination program Preparing India for a grand leap forward in Atma-Nirbharta

Mansukh Mandaviya
Contd from previous issue
I strongly believe that it is the people’s wholehearted participation in the vaccination program that has made it such a success.
The Covid-19 vaccination drive, which aims to vaccinate the entire population of the country by the end of this year, is also yielding valuable lessons for further refining our universal immunization program and other health initiatives. Our ever-expanding Covid-19 vaccination program can become an effective entry point for delivering primary healthcare, nutrition, water, and sanitation related services to our citizens. The rapid augmentation of our healthcare facilities across the country will help us ensure that everyone has equitable access to quality healthcare.
Our healthcare and frontline workers have worked with great commitment and dedication to achieve this momentous feat of having administered 75 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines ---- a fitting tribute to our 75 years of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”.  
The world’s largest adult vaccination program is also strengthening India’s resolve toward Atmanirbharta. The Atmanirbharta has to be inclusive and embrace complementary collaborations for essential technology and leverage the essential interdependence across the sectors and countries. Vaccine research and development and manufacturing are similar to rocket science and nuclear program. A lot of scientific, manufacturing, technology and quality assurance processes are involved in this. There is therefore a need to create an ecosystem that encourages enterprise and domestic production of vaccines, including required raw material, using advanced technologies. For this to happen, sustained strategic investments have been made in research and development, enabling collaborations and policy support to achieve the goal and sustain them.
The revolutionary vaccine program (both development and implementation aspects) and disease surveillance measures for COVID-19 will have a long-term impact on India’s immunization program.  
The pandemic has forced us to experience the fragility of life and to pay urgent attention to healthcare. It has also taught us that we no longer have the luxury of time to wait, experiment, and take small steps to build our healthcare ecosystem. The moment has come for the great leap forward-- and the country is prepared to do that.  

 PIB

(Writer is Union Minister  for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fertilizer)