A vaccine for our attitudes - Deccan Herald - Opinion/Panorama (19-Jan-2021)

A vaccine for our attitudes

https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/panorama/a-vaccine-for-our-attitudes-940629.html

A tête-à-tête between two apartment-mates went thus: 

"I took my vaccine shot this morning, the only one in our apartment complex.  I am now immune to this dreaded virus and hence can live normal life…" 

"Mine is scheduled for the Monday next…"

"How…you are neither a healthcare nor a frontline worker?" 

"My tenant is a party worker; I paid him Rs.1,000 who with his political reach had my name inserted.  The money will go to the party funds." 

"You forgot to mention whose vaccine you got?"

"Bharat Biotech and I’ve heard theirs is a relatively safer one!" 

"What…I thought with your fixation to flaunt foreign-brand apparel, you would have reservations for any desi things?!  My inoculation is with a cool vaccine from Pfizer which is stored at -70-degrees!  A foreign brand…" 

"Not fair!  With your high praise of India and local goods, what made you opt for a foreign brand?"

"Party worker!  You know he is well connected."  

"Can you get my wife a foreign brand vaccine too?" 

"What about the same Bharat vaccine for your wife?"

"My wife likes foreign brands, and she can be the first in her kitty party group… I can pay up to Rs. 2,500 and this can swell his party funds…" 

A fictitious conversation…is that what you think? The tentacles of politics and corruption extend into the deep crevices of almost all walks of life.  The vaccine roll-out should translate to be a better experience for the citizens of India.

Authorities need to ensure that there is a fair-and-equitable distribution of the vaccine.  India’s planning mechanism is on par if not better than the western countries.  Typically, the implementation gets hijacked due to political hands.  A case in point is the method followed to disburse loans for HNIs by our financial institutions who then stage ‘Quit India’ campaign!

Scientists world over have worked with the right intent since the break-out of this pandemic, to defy past development timelines.  Their indefatigable spirit has facilitated path-breaking progress to present a choice of vaccines available to the world citizens.  However, India plays the game at a different level.  We need every Indian to exhibit the right conduct across all sections of the society. 

Relevant authorities vested with the right power will draw out a priority list and a roll-out plan in this complicated setup to reach 1.4 billion people.  This plan must be made sacrosanct.  What needs to be etched in our memory are three things: one is the many lives lost and the struggle the families have undergone, two is the long-extended hours by healthcare professionals including doctors who continue to sacrifice their personal lives, and three is the rising fear of a new strain that has engulfed and mandated further lockdowns.

An equal concern is the way spurious drug-peddlers pop-up their heads with their greed for fast money.  Our authorities must ensure that the borders are sealed, and the inside houses are clean with no mercy shown for any violators. Let there be no penalty levied since our violators will find ways to innovate; instead, let there be corporal punishment meted out with extremely swift justice structure.  Let the punishment guidelines be announced in parallel as they make public the vaccine implementation roadmap. 

Many in our society carry significant trust in our public health system and expect the officials to do a meticulous job in the coming weeks and months. There is an equal onus on the common man too to display a gentleman-like approach; this will make India proud and perch it at the top as a ‘showcase’ country despite its vastness.

We should make the scientists and the vaccine manufacturers proud and pat their back for their commitment to stay on-track, rather than embarrassing them to focus on the development of a new vaccine to manage the sub-continent typical attitudinal behaviour laced with our idiosyncrasies in a mired political climate!