No pressure on regulator to approve a vaccine, says NITI Aayog's V K Paul

Paul said it was in India's interest to ensure scientific rigour is maintained while granting the licence to a vaccine

There is no pressure on the drug regulator to take the decision on the Covid-19 vaccine approval one way or another and the final call on granting emergency use authorisation will be made on sound scientific principles within a few days, Niti Aayog member V K Paul said on Saturday. 

Paul addressing the FICCI’s 93rd annual general meeting said, “It is an Apollo 11 moment for Indian science...The decision on vaccines will be taken by a panel which represents India’s scientific capital. We will wait till all parameters are met.” 

He said it was in India's interest to ensure scientific rigour is maintained in giving licence to vaccine or it could hurt our own cause. 

Government is also in touch with the UK's regulator regarding the approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine being developed by the Serum Institute of India, Pune. “Serum institute has a phenomenal capacity to produce (vaccine)...If this succeeds, we will be able to meet not just our but the global requirement,” Paul said.

India has only 20 per cent of the required number of specialist doctors leading to a huge deficit. Paul said that while the private sector has  500,000 beds in the private sector and they generate only 9000 post graduate seats. “Each of your beds is a teaching bed...You are not optimising the training opportunities for doctors and nurses,” Paul said, calling for higher private sector participation in ramping up health infrastructure. 

Paul also said that there is a need to identify the institutions missing in India’s health system including a set up for research and development, a system to handle data. “Strong institutions represent nations with strong healthcare systems.”

While there is a demand to raise the public expenditure to 2.5 per cent of the GDP, Paul said that since two-thirds of health spend comes from states they need to ensure that eight per cent of their budget goes to health.

He said that for the coronavirus vaccine, India will prioritise those most at risk above 50 years of age, the frontline workers and also those with comorbidities below 50. “We have to prioritise - everyone cannot get the vaccine...We have to look after those who have excess risk of mortality. Protecting the health system is the second goal, since the virus can come back and we cannot allow the shield of the frontline system to be weak.” 

Paul said that when the licensure for vaccines comes, India will be ready for a roll-out.