The Tamil Nadu Health Development Association (TNHDA), an NGO comprising doctors and health activists, has urged the central government not to accord autonomous status to the country's three vaccine manufacturing units, two of which are located in Tamil Nadu. 

In an emergency meeting of the executive committee of the TNHDA, it was  decided to approach the union government against giving autonomous status to these three vaccine manufacturing units, BCG Vaccine Laboratory, Chennai, PII Conoor and CRI Kasauli.

The TNHDA's objection in this regard stems from the fact that if these units are made autonomous, their managements will be vested with the powers to frame even policies also.  What would be the future of the employees, their service conditions, no body knows. Now the vaccine is supplied to the whole country free of cost. But if it becomes autonomous, it will act like a company and have the right to fix a price for the vaccine. They can make changes in the policies of government for some lame excuses.  They said the present status of Prasar Bharathi is the best example of adverse effects of making a government controlled institution into an autonomous one.

According to TNHDA members, the union government is going ahead with their decision to make these three units in the public sector independent autonomous bodies without government control. Besides, the government is mulling over setting up a national advisory board to monitor the production of vaccines in these units. TNHDA is of the opinion that the vaccine units should function under the direct control of the government and the earlier prestige and status of the units be brought back.

Dr C S Rex Sargunam, president of the association said the new born babies of the country should be administered good quality vaccine and it can be channelised through government controlled units. If these units are closed or become autonomous, private companies will take advantage of it. It is learnt that the health ministry has decided to convert the BCG Vaccine Laboratory in Chennai into a testing lab for the same vaccine after stopping production in the lab. He said somebody is trying to create a bad impression that these age-old units are not fit for manufacturing vaccines, that would help only the multi-national companies engaged in vaccine production. So, TNHDA will take up the issue, especially of BCG Vaccine Lab to the union health ministry, he told Pharmabiz.

According to V Sampath, secretary of the organization, the NGO will approach the local Chennai representative of the Parliament to raise the issue and meet the prime minister in this regard. The association will also represent the union health minister and the prime minister through the state health secretary for their immediate interference. “What is happening in these two units, we don’t know.  They are state properties and whether production is going on there or not; we don’t have any idea about it. We heard BCG Lab is going to be converted into a testing lab rather than a manufacturing unit. We have to save the unit from the crisis”, he said.

Although government has given permission to these units to start production from March this year, both PIIC and BCGVL could not fulfill the assignment given by health ministry due to technical and manpower problems. This delay in delivery will indirectly help the private vaccine companies to increase the price of their products which in turn will make the government to spend more money on National Immunization Program.

Another important thing, Dr Sargunam argued, is that since supply of vaccines from public sector units has become less, the health ministry has to purchase DPT and BCG vaccines from private companies at high prices. So it will be difficult to afford the total coverage of the programme as existed earlier. So the central ministry should take steps to restructure these units to cater to the needs of the country, he said.