Allow India Inc to vaccinate employees: CII

It has suggested that industry be involved fully in the massive inoculation drive to ensure that the vaccines reach those that most needed it in an accessible and equitable manner, with the joint support of private and public sector towards this national mission. 

The CII has constituted a high-level taskforce on COVID-19 vaccines with the objective of galvanising industry support for distribution and inoculation of the employees of member companies and also in the larger community where members have a role to play through CSR interventions. 

“Industry can supplement and contribute to the government’s programme with appropriate checks and balances, throughout the envisaged three phases, so as to further reach out the vaccine to those sections of the population who can contribute to the economic revival of the country,” the chairman of CII’’s Vaccine Task Force, TV Narendran, said. Since the second phase of inoculating those over 50 years will be a challenging task, the CII has come out with key recommendations. “It is suggested for ensuring faster rollout and for providing confidence to workers at the workplace, business enterprises could be permitted to vaccinate their employees and immediate family members,” CII said. 

It is estimated that such a programme could benefit an additional 100 million workers in the formal sector and local communities by providing access to the vaccine. By opening the vaccination process to the private sector, the large cohort of those willing to take the vaccines would enable full utilisation of the vaccines within the expiry period, CII noted.