NEW DELHI: The decision to revise the vaccination policy and restore the Centre’s primacy was based on continuous evaluation of the programme since it was altered on May 1, along with feedback from different stakeholders and the public narrative, the government said on Tuesday.
The response seemed intended to counter the claims of the opposition and some commentators that the reversal in policy may have been triggered by the Supreme Court’s criticism of the 18-44 strategy as arbitrary and poorly considered.
Barring a 25% quota of domestic vaccine production for private hospitals, the Centre will procure and supply the rest.
“We respect the guidance, the concern expressed by the SC… but the government was evaluating the implementation of the de-centralised model ever since it was conceived and ever since it was implemented on May 1,” Niti Aayog Member Dr VK Paul said.
Dr Paul said bottlenecks faced by different stakeholders, including manufacturers, state governments and the public, were being closely watched and evaluated.
PM Narendra Modi held two meetings on May 15 and May 21 and took feedback, Paul said.
On Monday, government sources had said Modi had given an in principle clearance to the revised policy on June 1.
“Thereafter, the PM gave directions to think, evaluate and prepare alternative models.
It became clear that we need to modify the system prevailing at that time,” Dr Paul said, highlighting that the need for a change in vaccine policy had started emerging as early as by May 15.
However, such decisions are not taken in a haste, he maintained.
“There was public narrative to which we were alive but such decisions are taken over some period of time based on analysis, feedback, consultation with stakeholders including manufacturers, state governments, internal system as well as science.
It is the totality of picture and of course public narrative is very important.
Such decisions are not taken overnight,” he said.
“I can say with confidence, I can say that our internal monitoring programme and feedback system has been going on from the very beginning and by May 15 some patterns started emerging,” Paul said.