Hyderabad: The State government has recommended everyone to get vaccinated for Covid-19. In spite of the awareness campaigns and free vaccine drive by the government, many people are refusing to take the jab. Learning about this, the founder of 'Vaccine on Wheels', Jignesh Patil, after some research identified that some people are not coming forward to get vaccinated as they did not want to forego a day’s income.
Then, he has decided to launch 'Vaccine on Wheels', an innovative approach in which medical practitioners go to people instead of the other way round. Jignesh’s idea has impressed the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation so much that 'Vaccine on Wheels' (VOW) got funding worth Rs 50 lakh. In collaboration with IIT Hyderabad and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, VOW has been introduced as India’s first doctor-based mobile vaccination clinic, which operates across six states. Jignesh says that he is planning to bring 'Cancer Care on Wheels' very soon.
Jignesh adds that he has founded VOW to bring all kinds of vaccines to people. When he joined the Centre for Healthcare in Hyderabad for a fellowship, Jignesh has done extensive research on vaccination, operation theatres, OPD and allied departments. During that time, he noticed that 38 per cent of children, pregnant women and patients had not been taking their vaccines on time though the government was providing them free of cost.
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“Daily wage labourers and lower middle-class have to forego a day’s income in order to get vaccinated. Adding to that, long queues at vaccination centres and the cost of commute are putting them off from getting the jab. If we could bring medical services to people’s doorstep, it would be easier for them. That is why I came up with 'Vaccine on Wheels'. We even supply vaccines that are out of stock with the government”, says Jignesh Patil.
VOW has served 20 lakh people so far across 40 districts in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Meghalaya. Jignesh says that the VOW initiative even received the Global Grand Challenges Award 2019 presented by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He adds that VOW was one of the 56 startups from across 19 countries that bagged the USD 1 million reward. Jignesh says that they have recently partnered with USAID.
At present, VOW operates 185 mobile vaccination centres, run by 1,000 odd medical personnel. As per Jignesh’s estimate, 25,000 to 30,000 people get vaccinated a day through VOW. He is working towards setting up more units for a routine immunisation programme. Furthermore, Jignesh plans to start 'Cancer Care on Wheels and Medical Care on Wheels' in the next few years.
