I didn't 'destroy' India's self-sufficiency in vaccine production: Ramadoss

The Union health minister in the first term of the UPA government, Anbumani Ramadoss clarifies he did not close down govt-run vaccine manufacturing units

This is a rejoinder to ‘Who destroyed India's vaccine self-sufficiency?’, an article by Bharat Bhushan published on the Business Standard website on May 17.
An article, ‘Who destroyed India's vaccine self-sufficiency?’, written by Bharat Bhushan and published on the Business Standard website on May 17, blames me for ‘destroying’ India’s self-sufficiency in vaccine production. The article further says that I ‘effectively moved vaccine manufacture and government procurement to the private sector’. These allegations are false.
 
As mentioned in the article, there are three public sector units (PSUs) producing vaccines: Central Research Institute (CRI) in Kasauli, Himachal Pradesh, started in the year 1905; BCG Vaccine Laboratory (BCGVL) in Guindy, Chennai, the oldest, started in the year 1899; and Pasteur Institute of India (PII), Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, started in the year 1907.
 
In the year 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) conveyed its reservations about the vaccines manufactured by these three government-owned manufacturing units. WHO declared that India was giving sub-standard vaccines to its citizens. We took urgent steps to improve the infrastructure at these units. More than Rs 30 crore was spent on each to improve the facilities.
 
The WHO pre-qualified standards are the international norms for vaccine production. Our PSUs were nowhere near these standards. WHO wanted these units to at least comply with the Indian standards, the Good Manufacturing Practice standards of India (Indian GMP). In spite of spending crores of rupees, our units could not comply even with the Indian GMP standards that are essential for licensing. These institutions faced constraints like running in more than a century old heritage buildings. There was no space for expansion, and renovation was impossible.
 
Finally, we were forced to issue orders to these units to stop vaccine production till such time as they raised their standards to Indian GMP, the basic standard. It was my duty as a doctor and Minister of Health to ensure that the mothers and children of the country did not receive sub-standard vaccines produced in these units. These units were never closed. There was never any attempt to close these units. They were only asked to stop production until their standards were raised to comply with the basic standards, the Indian GMP.
 
The order to stop production was issued in January 2008. I stepped down from the office of the Minister of Health in February 2009. Thirteen years after stopping production, various attempts made by my successors at the office of the Minister of Health to recommence production at these units have not materialised. Crores of rupees spent on these units went down the drain.
 
The false story of me closing down the three state-owned vaccine production units was investigated by a committee headed by Javid Chowdhury. The statement in the said article that “the Javid Chowdhury committee, which held the suspension of their licences incorrect, illegal and flawed” is also false. The committee found that there was no prima facie evidence for allegations against me. It ruled that the stoppage of vaccine production was necessitated because of the failure of these units to comply with the GMP.
 
The author of the article claims that “then up to 80 per cent of India’s vaccines for the Universal Immunisation Programme were sourced from the public sector and today 90 per cent of the vaccines are procured from the private sector at a higher cost”. This is another false allegation. The fact is that the combined production capacity of the above three units never exceeded 10 per cent of the demand at that time and even before that government procured 90 per cent of the vaccine from private companies. I attempted to reverse this situation.
 
At the same time, when these three PSUs were ordered to stop production for not complying with the Indian GMP, I initiated building an Integrated Vaccine Complex (IVC) in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu. One hundred acres of land at Chengalpattu was acquired from the Government of Tamil Nadu. An amount of Rs 800 crore was earmarked for this project and work was initiated in the year 2008 itself.
 
The IVC was designed to be the biggest in Asia, owned and operated 100 per cent by the Government of India. It can produce all the vaccines required for the Universal Immunisation Programme of our country. It was designed to be a world-class facility to comply with the WHO pre-qualification standards. If I were favouring private companies, why should I initiate such a huge government venture?
 
This centre would not only produce vaccines for domestic use but can export vaccines and earn foreign exchange for the nation. This facility could produce seven different types of vaccines like liquid pentavalent vaccine (LPV), hepatitis-B, haemophilus influenza Type B, rabies, Japanese encephalitis E, BCG, and measles & rubella vaccine. The good news is that this unit could also produce Covid vaccines.
 
The author blames me for moving vaccine production to the private sector. But the fact is that I ventured to build government capacity to produce 100 per cent of the vaccine requirement for the country’s universal immunisation programmes. 
 
The work of the IVC started in the year 2008 with the aim of starting vaccine production within two years, i.e. in the year 2010 itself. Even after 13 long years, production is yet to commence. As much as 95 per cent of the work was over as early as 2017. For unknown reasons, final works were not completed and vaccine production has not been started. A couple of months' work and a small investment of Rs 300 crore will make it operational. The government should do this on priority and start producing Covid vaccines at this facility. This would reduce the cost of vaccines by several times. This exclusive government firm can produce 20 million doses of Covid vaccines per month within six months. The capacity can be increased to produce 1 billion doses over time. This will be the answer to India’s all vaccine needs.
 
The author falsely accuses me when he mentions about a member of my political party owning pharma companies. Ours is a party of peasants. The relationships he has written about me and some pharma companies are not true.
 
The Covid pandemic is a national emergency. It is the duty of each one of us to contribute to the fight against the virus. Anyone attempting to divert issues by presenting false information and false allegations is actually working against the interests of the society.

The author was the health minister in the United Progressive Alliance government from May 2004 to March 2009