Frontline Workers First: Govt Readies Database As It Finetunes Covid Immunisation Strategy

The Union Health Ministry has issued an advisory for district and state-level nodal officers on how to prepare a database of healthcare workers, both in public and private settings, and upload the same on the COVID Vaccine Beneficiary Management System, being readied under the Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (E-VIN) platform.

A letter written in this regard by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has been accessed by News18. "This COVID vaccination drive of HCWs (healthcare workers) will use this database to identify beneficiaries," read the letter.

Who Gets the First Shots?

Frontline health workers, including ANM (auxiliary nurse midwife) and ASHA (accredited social health activist) workers -- about 7 and 10 lakh of them, respectively -- nurses and supervisors -- about 15 lakh nurses, medical officers, allopathic doctors, including MBBS and post-graduates, teaching and non-teaching doctors and Ayush doctors will get the vaccines first. This comes to an estimated 20 lakh medical practitioners.

Database for paramedical staff - all technicians (laboratory, operation theatre, etc.), pharmacists, physiotherapists, radiographers, ward boys, other paramedical staff, scientist and research staff, students – medical, dental, AYUSH, nursing and paramedical -- working in such facilities also has to be prepared.

The government is also looking to vaccinate another set of workers. Staff of the Central Sterile Supply Department and those involved in biomedical waste management, sanitation workers, ambulance drivers, security staff, outsource agency employees and other support staff, clerical staff, and data entry operators will also be in this list.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has said that by July 2021, around 400 million doses of the vaccine will be procured and that 25 to 30 crore Indians would be vaccinated by this time.