PHM-Exch> PHM Tamil Nadu statement on pentavalent vaccine introduction

[Claudio Schuftan]

   From:    shabanaameer2006 at gmail.com

The Indian government is going to include the pentavalent vaccine in the
Extended Immunisation Program of India. On a pilot basis it is going to be
introduced in Tamilnadu state. We in MNI issued a press statement against
the introduction
ameerkhan

Makkal Nalavazhvu Iyakkam (MNI)
Community Health Cell Extension unit - SOCHARA
Chennai  - Tamilnadu


STATEMENT ON THE INTRODUCTION OF PENTAVALENT VACCINE IN Universal
Immunisation Program (UIP)



*MAKKAL NALAVAZHVU IYAKKAM (Tamilnadu chapter of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan)*

* *

*PRESS RELEASE    *



While we welcome the use of the latest science and technology in the field
of public health for the greater common good, and we welcome the Tamilnadu
government’s commitment to the health of the people of Tamilnadu, we would
like to raise concerns about the *introduction of the pentavalent Vaccine
in the Universal Immunisation Program (UIP) in Tamilnadu on a pilot basis *and
the process to introduce it. *After considering many factors related to
Pentavalent vaccine we urge the central government to reconsider the
decision to introduce the pentavalent Vaccine from UIP and also urge the
Tamilnadu government to put on hold the introduction.  *



While acknowledging the important role of the UIP vaccines in the control
of vaccine preventable diseases, Makkal Nalavazhvu Iyakkam (MNI) believes
that mere technological solutions without the corresponding / supporting
socio-economic-political interventions cannot lead to health for ALL.
Medical technology is only one in whole range of interventions at various
levels and dimensions that are required for the achievement of Health for
ALL.  MNI further believes that medical technology should be under “social
control”. Its introduction, provisioning, monitoring and evaluation needs
to be done with the people's welfare as the top most priority and not
corporate or political pressure.



The health sector today is the field of struggle, with the private sector
trying to capture as much of it as possible for profit. In this, the field
of vaccines has seen very intense battles with the powerful multinational
pharmaceutical industries trying to make inroads into the Indian market.



·       In Pentavalent case also, we observe that strong hands of global
corporations and agencies such as Global Alliance for Vaccine Initiative
(GAVI) behind this introduction of pentavalent vaccines into the Universal
Immunization program of India in order to gain huge profit for their
vaccine production companies.  The international vaccine production
companies are deliberately looking for markets to sell many vaccines and
India’s UIP is the huge potential market and through all measures they
convinced the union government. Hence, we, demand the governments not to
succumb into international agencies pressure and give importance to local
realities.



·       There are counter arguments from people’s groups and doctor’s
fraternity on the efficacy, safety and need of the Hib vaccine in India we
demand the government to put on hold of introducing Pentavalent till the
efficiency and safety of the vaccine is proved beyond doubt. Here we would
like to mention the rollback of pentavalent vaccine in Srilanka, Pakistan
and Bhutan due to suspicion of deaths of children immediately after
administering the pentavalent vaccine to them and  re-introduction in
Srilanka is also riddled with controversy.



·        After five years of subsidy period by GAVI, Government of India
has to pay the full price of vaccine which is around Rs.525 per vaccine per
child, that means the government have to deploy huge funds to buy the
vaccines alone effective; hence the move will lead to diversion of large
amount of people’s money to private vaccine manufacturers in the name of
purchasing pentavalent vaccine. Due to this large diversion of funds of
health budget the other basic and emergency health care services may suffer
from lack of funds which will affect the countries health care facilities
in big way. We demand that the Tamilnadu and central governments – make
public and transparent its discussions around the decision making process
for the introduction of this vaccine at this juncture.



·       After long struggle by People’s movements and progressive
scientists, public vaccine production units (BCG lab Guindy, Pasteur
Institute Connor and Central Research Labroaroty in Kasoli were reopened
last year and these units are still struggling to supply the vaccines to
government thanks to a lack of support for revamping and upgrading the
facilities. These units are not equipped to produce pentavalent vaccines,
so Government has to procure vaccine from private companies and we fear
introducing pentavalent at this juncture will permanently affect  these
public sector companies, once the pride of India.



·       GAVI had already made “Advance Market Commitment (AMC)” to
multinational vaccine companies, in such situation Government of India will
also be left with no option but that of procuring only from these
multinational companies and not from the Indian companies either public
sector or private sector even if available for a lower cost  this will
obviously have direct impact on our independence leaving us completely
dependent on the whims of the private sector.



·       In the specific context of Tamilnadu where the village level
immunization has just re-started, the government should take necessary
steps to stabilize the routine immunization in villages in priority basis
before considering the introduction of any new vaccines.



·       We also would like to raise concern over the role of the private
sector in irrational demand

      creation.



·       To bring more transparency and accountability in the function of
health system, the government should take necessary steps to reassure the
public with full and accurate information regarding existing vaccination
programs and transparent reporting on a monthly basis should be available
in the public domain.



·       All Village Health and Sanitation Committees (VHWSC) and Accredited
Social Health Activists (ASHA) should be taken into confidence and trained
to play a monitoring role in vaccination at the village level.



·       Set up a committee with people's representatives and civil society
groups to monitor the roll out process of any new vaccines and issues
arising out of the same on a regular basis and it proceedings and decisions
be made public.





We request the governments to not to base such decisions on the basis of
technical expert committees’ findings and recommendations alone as such
committee’s recommendations are based purely on a narrow understanding of
efficacy and cost-effectiveness and do not include a large number
dimensions including the systemic effects, social realities on access to
technologies and the benefit of science, corruption, and the control of
this technology for private profit and the long term effects of that on the
sovereignty of the national and state health systems. We would like to
bring to your notice that such expert committees were involve in two cases
of policy reversal in the recent past. We refer to the cases of Public
sector vaccine production units closure and institutional based vaccination
policy in Tamilnadu in the past. Both these recommendations were
subsequently struck down and reversed after public pressure and the larger
impact on health systems were realised.



Date: 15th December 2011



Released by:

*Makkal Nalavazhvu Iyakkam*

Secretariat

*No.31, Prakasam Street *

*T.Nagar , Chennai -17*

*044-45502438 / 9443282718*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://phm.phmovement.org/pipermail/phm-exchange-phmovement.org/attachments/20111216/cff8e60b/attachment.html>