CII urges PM Modi to permit private sector to vaccinate employees: Report

Vaccination drive began in India on January 16

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has appealed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to permit the private sector to vaccinate their workforce, reports said on February 17.

The move would not only aid the workers in organised sector, but also the "surrounding communities", NDTV reported after accessing the CII proposal to the government.

The expenditure which would be incurred to vaccinate the employees and local communities should be "part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)", the trade association body added.

The news channel, citing a letter written to PM Modi by CII chief Uday Kotak on January 14, claimed that a recommendation was also made to allow hospitals to vaccinate their paying clients.

"Hospitals [should] be allowed to vaccinate critical patients and paying clients, eventually, for ensuring that the vaccine reaches all in the shortest possible time period, while not diverting resources from the Government's strategy of beneficiaries," the letter reportedly stated.

Involving the private sector in the vaccination drive would end up in increasing vaccine coverage, and "would better meet the requirements of a large and diversified country like India", the CII said, as per the report.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, in a media briefing on February 15, said no decision has been taken so far on opening up the private market for vaccines.

"This is an emergency use authorisation (EUA), and during the course of EUA, it is the responsibility of the govt to keep things under control, that is why it is not been opened up for private market," he said.

According to the government, 89,99,230 beneficiaries, including healthcare and frontline workers, were vaccinated in India till the early hours of February 17. The government, under the next phase of vaccination, will administer the doses to persons aged above 50 and those with comorbidities.