The Government of India has announced the opening of COVID-19 booster (precautionary) dose vaccination for all above 18, effective from 10 April, 2022. Booster shots are to be of the same vaccine type as earlier.
Individuals in the 18–59 age group eligible for the booster dose can book online appointments as well as walk in to receive the third dose. But there is a catch.
The Vaccination Is Not Free
Surprisingly, for the first time in the COVID-19 vaccination drive, the vaccination for this category (all above 18 years) is only available at private vaccination centres and on a payment basis (i.e. not free). So that means that it is not available at Government vaccination centres and that it is not free.
However, as a consolatory measure, the Government has said that they have capped the price of vaccines (Covishield, Covaxin) to ₹225. But private hospitals have been allowed to charge ₹150 as a service charge over and above the price of the vaccine.
So that means that a booster (precaution) shot of vaccine would cost a minimum of ₹375, provided the private hospitals follow the government guidelines on pricing.
Now, this is a very unusual move and goes against the Modi Government’s avowed policy of free COVID-19 vaccination for everyone. So the Government has created a divide in society.
Till now, the vaccination was free (with the option that those who could afford to pay could go to private centres). But now, there is no free or Government vaccination centre option for this new category of those above 18 wanting to get a COVID-19 booster jab.
So now anyone above 18 who wants to get a booster (precaution) shot has to compulsorily go to a private vaccination centre and pay a minimum of ₹375.
This Policy Excludes The Poor
This is vaccine apartheid as introduced by the Government of India in India. Till now, we used to say that developed countries of the west are following the policy of vaccine apartheid by not providing COVID-19 vaccines to the poor and developing countries.
The economy of the country is yet to recover from this prolonged 2 year-long COVID-19 pandemic and it has been further hit by the Russia-Ukraine war. Inflation is high due to the recent hike in prices of Petrol and Diesel, leading to rising in prices of all commodities and items.
Millions of people have lost their jobs and have been rendered unemployed during this 2 year period of the pandemic and so are already unable to make ends meet. This new vaccination policy is a further blow to the poor and middle-class segment in India.
There is a good reason to believe that the Government has fallen prey to the lobby of private healthcare providers, private vaccination centres and private hospitals that have already profited a great deal from the pandemic.
The Government, it seems, has been bribed by the private healthcare industry, which will now make a killing by making hefty profits from this new government policy of booster doses.
I appreciate the opposition and criticism of this new government policy by the Congress party official spokesperson Shama Mohammad saying that it seems that only the rich are entitled to get the booster jab and not the poor and middle class.
The silence of large segments of our society, including the political parties (except perhaps the Congress), on this new government policy is bewildering and totally unexpected.
The issue needs to be raised in parliament. There ought to be countrywide protests such that the Government is forced to rethink and revise the policy by making booster jabs available at government vaccination centres free for all sections.