Mission Indradhanush changed the landscape of immunisation in India

1. Mission Indradhanush changed the landscape of immunisation in India Immunization, a cornerstone of public health, stands as a formidable shield against infectious diseases. Beyond individual protection, widespread immunization contributes to community immunity, curtailing the spread of diseases, and safeguarding vulnerable populations. In the dynamic realm of public service and governmental initiatives, my tenure in the Government of India was marked by a compelling dual challenge that demanded immediate and strategic attention. The mission at hand was two-fold: to expand access to vaccines for children across the vast expanse of our nation and to craft a comprehensive sustainable strategy for the effective delivery of these vaccines to every corner of our diverse landscape. As I immersed myself in the intricacies of this crucial undertaking, it became glaringly evident that the availability or unavailability of vaccines was not the issue. The gap was identified in vaccinating children till their last dose of vaccination. The institutional delivery system unveiled itself as a bottleneck, wherein the initial immunization at birth achieved success. However, providing the subsequent doses posed a formidable challenge. The crux of the matter lay in the complexities of reaching and vaccinating children beyond the initial dose, a task made challenging by various logistical and healthcare delivery nuances. Moreover, the underlying feeling that India was growing at the rate of 1% each year towards full immunization was just not acceptable and something dramatic had to happen.

2. In response to this challenge, we drew inspiration from the successful polio eradication strategy and devised a meticulous micro plan – an intricate listing of births in every village and household. This micro plan emerged as our guiding light, enabling us to identify unimmunized children in over 200 districts. Thus, Mission Indradhanush was born. It was initially conceived as a gap-filling exercise to reach children left out of the immunization net. However, the program went on to become India’s flagship immunization program aimed to achieve 90%+ of the full immunization coverage across the country and sustaining it. Initiated in 2014, the target population for the program included both children and pregnant women, with a focus on those residing in urban and underserved areas. The primary objective was to protect these vulnerable populations from vaccine-preventable diseases. The vaccines administered under Mission Indradhanush encompass crucial protection against diseases such as polio, measles, mumps,

3. rubella, chickenpox, hepatitis B, and meningitis. Noteworthy progress has also been made over the years and ongoing efforts persist to continually enhance coverage and reach all target populations. Mission Indradhanush for immunisation in India