GOA, Feb 5 (TNT) : Goa Institute of Management (GIM) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation’s Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR), successfully organised a National Expert Consultation Workshop in Strategies for Advancing Life-course Immunisation in India on Wednesday in Thiruvananthapuram.
The workshop was attended by senior participants from the Government institutions, Academia, Professional Medical Associations, Health Care Providers, Health Care Insurers, and Industry, to discuss and formulate actionable recommendations for the consolidation of adult and life-course vaccination in the country.
This workshop is a part of GIM’s ongoing research initiative to develop and provide evidence based actionable recommendations to address the challenges of adult immunisation in the country.
In his welcome address, Dr. Ajay Vamadevan, Professor at Goa Institute of Management, said, “Advancing adult vaccination in India requires a coherent blend of policy clarity, operational feasibility, and sustainable financing. This consultation is designed to move beyond isolated interventions and instead identify system-level strategies that can meaningfully increase vaccine uptake across the life-course.”
The workshop included a series of thematic panel discussions with focus on various components of the national strategy to expand adult vaccination under the Universal Immunisation Programme, with focus on policy, service delivery, financing, and partnership, to assess and address the various components of access and demand for vaccination.
A dedicated session focusing on the examination of the individual states’ implementation of adult vaccination programs was conducted, with operational and policy feedback being provided by representatives from Kerala, Goa, Delhi, and Punjab.
The panel described and demonstrated the value of collaboration among various constituents, such as public health, health care, insurance, and industry, to propose and evaluate sustainable solutions for the scaling of adult immunisation.
A round table meeting focused on adapting national strategies within Kerala’s healthcare ecosystem, followed by a summary session outlining key recommendations and the way forward for strengthening life-course immunisation efforts, was also a part of the workshop.
Speaking during the round table meeting, Dr. Praveen Pradeep, Associate Professor, Goa Institute of Management, said, “With Kerala’s landmark elderly-friendly budget and the earmarking of funds for pneumococcal vaccination among high-risk elderly populations, this strategic consultation is especially timely. Kerala has consistently been a torchbearer of public health innovation in India, and this forum provides an opportunity to further advance life-course immunization through context-specific, forward-looking strategies”
Given the ageing population and the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases, the workshop participants articulated that adult immunisation, and the gaps therein, will require robust collaboration among the government, the health care system, and the private sector.
Key dignitaries present in the workshop included: Rajeev Sadanandan, IAS, Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt of Kerala; Dr. Sunita Tandulwadkar, President, Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India –FOGSI; Dr. Sanjeev Nair, Additional Professor, Dept of Pulmonary Medicine, Govt Medical College, Trivandrum; · Dr. V K Muhammed Niyas, Consultant, Infectious Diseases, KIMSHEALTH; Dr. Shailendra Dange, Vice-Principal, MediCiti Institute of Medical Sciences (MIMS), Hyderabad; Dr. Arista Lahiri, Assistant Professor, Dr B C Roy Multi-Speciality Medical Research Centre, IIT-Kharagpur; Dr. Meenakshi V, Government of Kerala ; Dr. Prashant Suryawanshi, Government of Goa; Dr. Upendra Prasad Mandal, Government of Delhi; Dr. Hitesh Monga, Government of Punjab and among others.
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