Telangana state spends Rs.35000 crore per annum for public welfare: Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender
Hyderabad: Telangana Health Minister Eatala Rajender speaking at a talk ‘The Next Normal: Navigating Unchartered Waters’ organized by FICCI Ladies Organisation here at Hyderabad today said that the question of money doesn’t arise in the fight against Covid. If the state government gets permission, we will foot the bill for the vaccination of the state’s population. We are committed to the welfare of the people of Telangana, the minister said.
He said that the Telangana state spends Rs.35000 crore per annum for welfare. The talk had Mr. Eatala Rajender, Hon’ble Minister of Medical Health & Family Welfare, Government of Telangana and Ms. Mahima Datla, MD & CEO, Biological E. Ltd. in conversation with Mr. T. Muralidharan, Chair, FICCI Hyderabad.
Speaking further, the minister said that Telangana is ready to give the vaccine to people who can’t afford it. But even if rich people too ask, we are ready to give vaccine to everyone. The Telangana state has a per capita of 2 lakh and above more than double the national per capita. We can bear the cost of the vaccination, he said. Everything is expected expenditure, except health. The duty of the Government must be to take is to take care of public education and health, every government must fulfill this, he opined.
Telangana state has taken 8 lakh doses. 1.09,000 government healthcare workers and over 40,000 private-sector workers have been vaccinated so far, he informed. We are ready to vaccinate people above 50 years and people with co-morbidities as per the guidelines by the Central government. People are questioning the efficacy of the virus and asking about trails. But, this time is not there to question. He said that according to WHO a vaccine is said to be efficient if it has a 50% efficacy. We have vaccines with much better efficacy in a short time. We are going to give vaccines to each and everyone, he said.
Ms. Mahima Datla, MD & CEO, Biological E. Ltd. addressing the gathering said that we don’t have a source of credible scientific information. She lamented that the do’s and don’ts list and FAQs for who can take vaccination came much late. It should have been earlier, people should be educated, she said. Sharing the top three learning from the Covid situation, Ms. Mahima said that we must collaborate with a global network to know about the emergence of viruses in time. Global surveillance of viruses must be there and WHO is not enough, she said. India has a greater opportunity to play, she opined. There are about 25-30 viruses only that have pandemic potential. We are exposed to a lot of viruses and build immunity over time. But, when viruses jump from species to species our body doesn’t have time to overcome them, she said.
Government should invest in research and new tools to minimize the time taken to produce the vaccine. 30 viruses are not insurmountable, she said. We need some infrastructure that is kept ready when we face challenges, she added. Answering a question on herd immunity, Ms. Mahima said that the notion of getting herd immunity by infection is bad. The best way to deal is by immunizing maximum number of people in the shortest possible time, she said.
T. Muralidharan, Chair, FICCI Hyderabad requested the Minister to recommend the removal of GST for companies that give insurance to its employees.
Earlier, speaking in her welcome address Ms. Usharani Manne, Chairperson, FLO Hyderabad Chapter said that now that the vaccines are out, it was the correct time to organize the Face2Face to understand the logistics and efficacy of the vaccines that are coming out, especially in India. And to learn to prepare ourselves for more such incidences.
Ms. Usharani Manne also announced that FICCI Ladies Organisation is to recognize and honour accomplished women with the FLO Women Achiever’s Awards on March 7th at Hyderabad.