Covid-19: Lancet panel pitches for centralised vaccine procurement amid shortage of jabs in India

A central system for procurement and distribution of free Covid vaccines was among eight recommendations for India by The Lancet Citizens’ Commission.

A Lancet panel of experts in India on Wednesday proposed a central system for the procurement and distribution of free Covid vaccines, part of an eight-point system of recommendations to “curtail the loss of life and suffering” caused by the coronavirus resurgence in the country. The Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System, which comprises 21 experts including virologist Gagandeep Kang and Narayana Hrudalaya chairperson Devi Shetty, was launched in December last year. In an article published in the British medical journal, the commission put forward eight urgent recommendations for the Centre and state governments. These include a transparent pricing policy and cash transfers by the state to workers in the informal sector.