An embarrassed health ministry has shifted the launch date of one of its flagship programmes, the country’s first nationwide round of pulse polio immunisation, having failed to procure adequate quantity of polio vaccine. The scheme, that is launched in January every year with much fanfare by the President, will now kickstart on February 19 instead.
The states which carryout their vaccination drive to coincide with the programme too will launch it on February 19. For 17.5 crore children which are to be vaccinated on the National Immunisation Day, the health ministry required about 25 crore doses to be sent to the states, but it fell far short by 18 crore doses.
The health ministry officials are quick to pass the buck to the company that was contracted to supply the doses saying the order was placed as early as January, 2011.
However, the concerned company was disqualified by the World Health Organisation following which fresh order had to be placed as late as December.
But what the health ministry officials are not able to explain is how such a major lapse went unnoticed for almost the entire year. “We were told by the concerned company that the disqualification will be revoked by the WHO and that they will be eventually able to meet the deadline,’’ a senior ministry official remarked.
Interestingly, what the officials are also unable to explain is how they will manage to procure 18 crore doses by February 19, which were initially to be supplied over a period of one year, in such a short span of time.