India may face a serious shortage of BCG Vaccines from January next year if the government fails to take necessary steps to counter that possibility. The government medical store depot records show that the available stocks are sufficient only till December 2010, as per information received for an RTI application by a doctor in Kerala.
The replies to the doctor’s RTI pleas reveal that the country’s total stock of BCG vaccine, as on 01-08-2010 was 1,58,76,000 doses. According to health ministry records, the actual requirement of BCG vaccine to be administered to 25 million children per year is six crore doses. When adding the available stocks with various states’ depots, the total available quantity now is sufficient only to cater to the needs of the period up to December this year.
According to Dr K V Babu, the RTI applicant, the lead period for getting vaccine after placing order is usually three months. Therefore, if the government does not take any urgent steps to place further orders, the country will face a severe shortage by the end of this year.
The replies he received show that the government medical store depot (GMSD) in Mumbai has, as on 01-08-2010, a stock of 44,19,000 doses, the GMSD in Chennai has a stock of 46,22,000 doses as on 01-08-2010, in Karnal GMSD, the available stock is 39,18,000 doses and in Kolkata GMSD , on the same date, the available stock of BCG vaccine is 29,17,000 doses.
The Union Health Ministry’s Immunization Programme Committee, early this year, had decided to procure 325 lakh doses of BCG vaccine from Serum Institute of India for the national immunization program of 2010-11. The cost for one vial was at Serum’s quoted rate of Rs. 28.60 plus ST. But soon after this decision, the government of India reopened the closed public sector vaccine units. So the IPC contacted the government institutes to intimate them what quantity can be supplied by each unit during 2010-11. At first, the BCG Lab in Chennai intimated the IPC that it could supply 274 lakh doses. So the government has reduced the quantity to be procured from Serum institute to 51 lakh ( 325-274=51). But later it was found that the 274 lakh doses shortlisted from BCG had gone as waste due to passage of expiry date. So the government has to procure a quantity of 274 lakh doses of vaccine to cover the immunization programme of 2010-11, says Dr Babu.
Because of date expiry of vaccines in the BCG Lab, the nation’s exchequer got a loss of Rs. 4.46 crore. The life of freeze dried BCG vaccine is only two years..
Dr K V Babu is a Kerala based ophthalmologist and central council member of the Indian Medical Association.