All financial ties of the country's apex immunisation advisory body, National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI), with the Gates Foundation have been cut off.
NTAGI Secretariat will be now fully funded by the central government, the health ministry confirmed to ET. NTAGI's Secretariat was so far being serviced through the Gates Foundation-funded Immunization Technical Support Unit (ITSU) at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).
ET has learnt that the government's decision was informed by, among other factors, arguments from senior medical professionals and outfits like Swadeshi Jagran Manch.
Concerns raised by members of the steering group of the National Health Mission and the Sangh-affiliated outfit centred around "conflict of interest issues" in the NTAGI-Gates Foundation relationship.
Influence on vaccination strategy
There were questions about the Gates Foundation's ties with pharmaceutical companies and the possible influence this may have on the country's vaccination strategy. Global Policy Forum, an independent policy watchdog that seeks to promote accountability in international organisations, raised some of these concerns in a study in December 2015.
The study, called 'Philanthropic Power and Development -Who shapes the agenda?', had cautioned on "the growing influence of the large global philanthropic foundations, especially the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on political discourse and agenda-setting in targeted fields, and fully analyze the risks and side effects — intended and unintended — of these activities on sustainable development".
Gates Foundation spokesperson Sunil Raman confirmed that the NTAGI Secretariat had shifted out of ITSU. NTAGI member NK Arora and PHFI also confirmed the development.
Members of the steering group aren't authorised to speak to the media. Swadeshi Jagran Manch's national co-convener Ashwani Mahajan told ET, "We welcome this move by the government.
We have always said foreign influence in our domestic policies in any way must be avoided." NTAGI will now be moved out to the fully government-funded National Institute of Family Health and Welfare (NIFHW).
NTAGI is crucial to India's Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) — the nationwide rollout of the pentavalent vaccine and the introduction of vaccines against rotavirus, IPV and rubella.
UIP is one of the world's largest immunisation programmes. It caters to approximately 27 million infants and 30 million pregnant women annually free of cost.
Future course
The Gates Foundation-ITSU relationship formally ends on February 28. Discussions are now on between the health ministry, the Gates Foundation and PHFI on the future role of ITSU.
Raman told ET that "the next phase of association has not been decided". NTAGI, set up in 2001, is chaired by the health secretary and has on board a number of independent health experts, representatives from organisations such as the Indian Academy of Pediatrics, the Indian Medical Association, World Health Organization and UNICEF besides stakeholder ministries.
NTAGI advises the Indian government on policies and strategy for implementing the national immunisation programme and also evaluates the impact of immunisation on Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs) in the country. The NTAGI Secretariat provides necessary support for meetings of NTAGI and its Standing Technical Sub Committee.
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