Public health, Pandemic misery, Profit mindset: A thread

Everyone is surprised that Covishield or AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine is priced under $3 despite the R&D cost. It is sad that people find this surprising. Vaccination programs are very altruistic- not self centred... https://twitter.com/vishnundtv/status/1348577495612755969

2. you protect more than yourself- babies and immune deficient people who can’t take it but are still at risk for an infection. For example, whooping cough (Pertussis) vaccine is given to everyone in the house with a new born baby- not for the people but to protect the baby.

3. Sadly, in countries that lack public health where everyone is expected to shell out the cost from their own pocket, this altruism is rather surprising. This is why we are saying companies squeezing as much as possible & taking the epidemic as an opportunity for money making..

4. In contrast, Oxford, a public funded institution where its scientists have lived under the protection of NHS have a totally different attitude towards vaccines. Not only Oxford but AstraZeneca decided to make this a profit less project. Something Indians have unheard of.

5. For Indians, a Pvt. Company is for profit and not to make a fortune. Surely these companies like SII have had other opportunities to mint money, but I am surprised that no one is asking the same from Mr Adar Poonawala. While he has a hiked up price for the private distribution

6...and a smaller price for the government vaccinations program (Rs 1000 vs 200). Now the government has only aimed to vaccinate about 300 mil people, does that mean that most Indians would escape the queues & pay the premium price for a vaccine developed without profit

7. Fascinating because this means a huge business opportunity for @SerumInstIndia & Indians who have always secured private health in top hospitals/clinics of the country will have no problems in paying Rs 1k /dose. For people like us who have lived under the protection of ...

8... public health for the most part of their lives, it’s unfathomable to pay a company so much that has received tech transfer under the WHO agreement Covax with a profit less R&D project. It’s not about Rs 1000, it’s about what says about Indians as people.

9. If this misery, suffering, pandemic, deaths, labour migration, inability to see your family during the lockdown, scarcity of food/resources cannot make you altruistic enough to question the Indian health system, nothing else will ever will.

10. The Q of public health is not limited to SII vaccine but every time you pay the hospitals/clinics. Also instead of a luxury service, it becomes a need based program where the unnecessary procedures get eliminated & the focus is just improving your health. Wouldn’t it be nice?

Correction: 30 mil not 300 million. Also the latest news is that the Indian government is now aiming to vaccinate 50 million people instead of 30 million. More but still not covering the whole population