Dear Rasheeda,
As desired please find herewith my Response for Rotary News Trust . 1. What is the main focus of the india covid task force you chair?
When the Government of India was preparing to roll out the Covid Vaccine, Rotary’s leadership in India took the first step and offered its hand of partnership for the Covid Vaccination. I was then invited to take charge as Chairman, Rotary India’s Covid Task Force. Further to meetings with officials from the Union Health Ministry and the Niti Aayog, the Task Force, the following focus areas were identified:
1) Create awareness of the Covid Vaccine 2) Social mobilisation 3) Overcome pockets of public resistance caused by misinformation 4) Provide logistical support where required.2. What role has Indian Rotarians played in Covid vaccination. An estimate of numbers?
Rotary Clubs all over India have played a huge role in the Covid vaccination drive. They started out by organizing rallies and online seminars to promote vaccination. They have also made great use of social media to promote vaccination. Once the drive started, Rotary clubs have helped providing cold chain, transport for the vaccine, have organized vaccination camps across the country. By my estimates, close to 2 million Indians have been vaccinated at camps organized by Rotary Clubs. Besides this, Rotarians have also helped augment Covid Hospital capacity and provided oxygen concentrators to various hospitals. Installed Oxygen plants , provided medicines to needy , managed Call Centres to provide information about the availability of beds , oxygen Concentrators, medicines , food and things like that . 3. What are the main challenges that India faces in getting its population vaccinated given our huge population? What more can Rotary do to help?
The first hurdle was getting sufficient supplies of the vaccine. The sheer number of people needing the vaccine is quite overwhelming. After all, ours is a huge population which is also densely concentrated in the cities. With more than 50 % of the population having got at least 1 jab of the vaccine, and lockdown being phased out, the challenge lies in ensuring that people do not let their guard down. Maintaining sufficient physical distancing , avoiding physical meetings and get together and use of face masks and sanitizers must continue.
Rotary clubs must also help the state governments in ensuring that people in rural areas get their vaccinations at the earliest.4. You played a huge role in Rotary’s efforts in helping to eradicate polio from India. Any similarities or differences in the Covid vaccination drive?
The Polio vaccination had encountered resistance from certain pockets of the Muslim community. We overcame that by enlisting the support of the religious leaders who convinced their flock to accept the vaccination. This was a tipping point in the Polio Eradication drive which finally led to India being declared Polio-free.
This time around, the Ulema Committee of which I still being Chairman was brought on board very early to ensure that Covid vaccination did not meet any resistance from the Muslim community.
The Polio vaccine was being vaccinated to children below the age of 5. The Covid vaccine needs to be administered to every Indian. That is a staggering figure to achieve and the Government has done a tremendous job so far.
We have some way to go before we can breathe easy again. However, Rotary’s experience in Polio vaccination gives us the confidence that India will walk free from Covid, very soon.
It will not be out of place here to mention that the entire Covid Task Force is dedicated to the cause and is fully supported by our senior Rotary leaders . The District leadership is doing tremendous work through the Rotary Clubs in assisting the local Government to get rid of this dreadful diesis and God willing soon we will succeed in making india Covid Free .