Ministries and state departments instructed to gear up ahead of vaccine rollout
As India inches closer to kicking off a nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive on January, more than a dozen ministries and two dozen state-level departments are being mobilised for a smooth roll-out, according to a report in The Indian Express.
To ensure continuous refrigeration for the inoculations, the central power ministry has been instructed to work in tandem with state power distribution companies to have uninterrupted power supply at vaccine storage centres and vaccination points. The Railways will use "vaccine branding" on railway tickets and carry out vaccination sessions at its hospitals, dispensaries, and other places it runs. The labour ministry has been instructed to conduct vaccination sessions across Employees' State Insurance's (ESI) network of hospitals and staff. ESI is a social security and health insurance scheme for Indian workers that works as an autonomous body under the labour ministry. The defence ministry is expected to assist the supply of vaccines into hard-to-reach and danger-prone areas.