OMAG suggests PM to expand scope of Vaccine Maitri to China

According to OMAG secretary general, the vision and scope of the 'Vaccine-Maitri' programme should be extended to help China

Amid the emerging concern over the Covid-19 situation, the Organized Medicine Academic Guild (OMAG) has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to enhance the scope of Vaccine Maitri, uptake of the precautionary/booster dose and roll-out the recently approved nasal Covid vaccine.

“We appreciate the proactive stand by the Government to prevent a fresh Covid crisis in India, due to the worsening situation in China and elsewhere. Currently we are not faced with any direct threat from BA.7 sub-variant of Omicron, with its origin in BA.5 (as we mostly have XBB strain (recombinant of BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75). However, if a new variant of concern emerges from there, India may then be at stake,” OMAG secretary general Dr Ishwar Gilada said in a letter to Modi.

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According to him, the vision and scope of the “Vaccine-Maitri” programme should be extended to help China. “Offer them unconditional support by way of Covid-management protocols and vaccines as our vaccines are far more effective than others. This offer will raise India’s stature globally and whether or not China accepts the offer, it will be win-win. If they do accept, our bilateral relation will improve,” said Dr Gilada, who is also President, AIDS Society of India (ASI) and Secretary General, People’s Health Organisation-India (PHO).

“We need to expand the uptake in precautionary/booster dose, allow the vaccines to be made available at all clinics and hospitals. Not counting graduates from AYUSH or alternate medicines, there are 12.5L MBBS doctors and 5L post-graduate doctors. More than half are in the private sector and also have their clinics. They are carrying out vaccination to prevent other infections and can be utilised to carry out Covid-19 vaccination too,” he said.

“Our recently approved nasal Covid vaccine doesn’t need trained healthcare people to administer. For better coverage in rural population the Primary Health Centres and/or Panchayats have to be roped in to provide vaccines,” he said.