Dr Devi Shetty who is one of India’s most respected cardiac surgeons and the founder of multispeciality hospital chain Narayana Health has said that India must buy at least 300-400 million doses of vaccines through one channel and use private hospitals to accelerate the pace of inoculation.
“If we go to companies and say we want to buy 300-400 million doses, this is the money take it, they will give it to you, and these are vaccines that don’t need a trial, they have been used on millions of people,” Dr Shetty told Money Control in an interview.
“One day of lockdown, how much is it going to cost us? The vaccine is the cheapest solution we have against COVID, we have to use it.”
When asked about the centralised vs decentralised approach, Dr Shetty said, “I know a lot of people are criticising the government, but I can tell you, the number of COVID patients we have, (even) if we present this to the US government, there is no way they can manage it … forget any other country. These are astronomical numbers that no country in the world has the infrastructure to manage.”
He said the central government has done a phenomenal job and “moved heaven and earth to get the oxygen to the hospitals”. “Of course, a lot of people have suffered, but if the whole country is falling sick there is no healthcare infra in the world that can cope.”
Must watch & share what renowned Dr Devi Shetty is saying about the second #Covid19 wave & Government’s efforts.
— Priti Gandhi – प्रीति गांधी (@MrsGandhi) May 14, 2021
I shudder to think what would have happened to our nation had it not been for our most capable PM @narendramodi. Please use your common sense before you attack him! pic.twitter.com/F74NEH4PRn
Dr Shetty called for a bulk order to quicken the pace of vaccination and said, “Bulk order will give you huge leverage to negotiate the best price and unless these companies get money in advance they won’t commit. We need at least five different vaccine manufacturers to come forward and say that you give me the money, we will deliver at this time.”
Dr Shetty stressed that it is crucial to vaccinate parents of young children, as the virus could mutate and look for a new, susceptible pool of the population as claimed by some virologists.
“I feel we all should come together and have one vaccine procuring agency. We know the strength of the economy of scale. A country saying we need 300-600 million and saying we will give you money upfront, it is a different ball game,” he said.
Dr Shetty underscored the role private hospitals will play in the vaccination drive. In terms of prioritization and administration of vaccination, he said while government institutions have limitations, private hospitals have more flexibility to conduct massive drives.
“If I am given few million vaccines and told to vaccinate, I can do it for 26,000 people on one campus in 24 hours. I can manage double … I can even vaccinate at 2 am at night. If people are desperate enough to want vaccines, we will have a 24-hour shift,” he said.