As COVID-19 continues to grip the world, where governments have made it their top priority in making efforts to vaccinate their populations, here in India unfortunately this has not been the case.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 16 with pomp rolled out an ambitious plan to vaccinate 300 million Indians in the first 6 to 8 months starting with frontline health workers. This country is renowned for housing the biggest vaccine makers in the world and infrastructure to mass vaccinate the public in great numbers.
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However getting the health workers vaccinated is sadly going at a snail’s pace. Yes, over 8 million people have been vaccinated to date but most states are lagging well behind.
Let’s look at Goa for example. So far 41500 vaccines have been delivered. As of February 13, 12949 health workers have been given their first jabs out of approximately 18000. That’s a paltry amount considering the rollout started on January 16.
The health ministry stated that this process would be completed by February 12. This has not happened and is totally unacceptable.
At this rate, when are the vulnerable, seniors and others in the state going to get vaccinated?
The politicians in Goa, and in India by their actions have not taken this pandemic seriously. Here in Goa, mask wearing is not enforced, contrary to the Health Minister’s Rane’s assertion that it is. No masks wearing at yesterday’s Carnival, in Margao with police not enforcing it further confirms my point.
Mask wearing of either N95, KN95 and others of similar grade have been worldwide proven to help slow the transmission of COVID-19. Rane, does not have his finger on the pulse and neither does Chief Minister Sawant who is more concerned about bull fighting.
Currently there is no urgency on a state or national level in getting the population vaccinated against COVID-19.
Prime Minister Modi, instead of scoring international political points by sending vaccines overseas to other countries, should instruct his ministers on a national and state level, that they, at all costs should be making a concerted effort in getting the majority of the public vaccinated as quickly as possible. It is the only way to beat this dreaded pandemic.
When that happens, certainly send vaccines overseas to help other countries. Take care of your own first before you help others.
Unfortunately most of these politicians spew out is populist rhetoric with bluster, which sound good at the time but take no action. Talk is cheap. Actions count. Politicians are public servants who work for the public. They should put the public’s interest first instead of their own.
People’s health is paramount and politicians have a duty to deliver, not dither and take it lightly. Getting the majority of the public vaccinated should be the given top priority with utmost urgency.
The people of Goa and India as a whole deserve better from their politicians and who are I’m sure fully expecting them to deliver on their vaccine pledges.
