In this regard, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has submitted a detailed plan outlining what support the private sector, including healthcare, can provide, through the FICCI-EY Strategy paper on 'Protecting India - Public-Private Partnership for vaccinating against Covid-19'. The strategy paper was submitted to the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for?Covid-19 (NEGVAC) last month.

"Given that we are on the verge of launching the largest ever and a complex vaccination programme, effective partnerships and seamless collaborations will be pivotal for its success. We hope that the government has taken note of the intent and commitment from private sector players for accelerating the process of targeted vaccination across the country," FICCI Chair Health Services Committee and Chairman Medica Group of Hospitals Alok Roy said in a statement.

The FICCI-EY paper, which was developed in consultation with various stakeholders from healthcare, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, logistics, cold chain and allied sectors, states that India would need 1.3-1.4 lakh vaccination centres, 1 lakh healthcare professionals and 2.0 lakh, support staff/ volunteers, to support government's mass-inoculation programme.

The private healthcare sector, responsible for almost 70 per cent of healthcare delivery in the country, can adequately supplement the physical and human infrastructure supply in key capacity-constrained regions, specifically in urban and semi-urban areas, FICCI noted.

A FICCI survey conducted in collaboration with EY and NABH showed that 81 per cent of survey respondents from the private healthcare industry are willing to inoculate front-line workers in local areas and 75 per cent are willing to inoculate their local communities, 70 per cent are willing to allocate manpower in semi-urban/rural areas for vaccination and 94 per cent are willing to impart training for inoculation, it added.

The private players are now waiting for a direction from the government on how to contribute towards the massive vaccination program, in the national interest, FICCI said.