Kabir Bedi makes plea for vaccine equity, especially for citizens with disabilities

Countries across the world are vaccinating their citizens against COVID-19 to tackle the deadly pandemic. The campaign in India began earlier this year and so far only 6.4% of the population has been fully vaccinated, even though 41.8 crore doses of the vaccine have been administered.

Sightsavers, a global organisation working in over 30 countries to eliminate avoidable blindness, is speaking up for the rights and needs of people with disabilities. The organisation is urging the government to reach out and make the vaccination process accessible to citizens who are disabled.

Veteran actor Kabir Bedi, who is also the honorary brand ambassador of Sightsavers India, championed the cause in a new video, saying, “In this COVID pandemic, when we all are getting vaccinated, please remember to help those with disabilities to get vaccinated. Especially those who are visually challenged or blind or suffering from any other disability and have problems getting to the vaccination centre. We can only beat this virus if we are all in it together. Support Sightsavers India’s initiative of vaccine equity and leave no one behind. Help the disabled get vaccinated for yourself, for your families, and for India.”

RN Mohanty, the CEO of Sightsavers India, stated that the pandemic has already shown its impact especially on those with disabilities. "Any policy formed to tackle the ongoing pandemic ideally should have policies catering to the needs of people with disabilities. Sightsavers' Equal World Vaccine Equity campaign seeks to raise awareness about the issue by supporting local governments in creating enabling environments for COVID-19 vaccination. We also aim at making people with disabilities aware of the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination so that there is no hesitancy on its uptake,” Mohanty said.

According to the data, there are around 2.68 crore citizens with disabilities in India who make up  2.21% of the population. Sightsavers has urged the government to ensure vaccine equity in ten key points. These include options for those who are immobile and bedridden to be vaccinated at their own residence and ensuring that other citizens with disabilities receive their vaccines closer to their homes. If there is no centre near them, transport should be arranged for them and their caregivers, who should also be vaccinated with them, according to Sightsavers.

The organisation also stated that vaccination centres should be physically accessible for those in wheelchairs and that drives and campaigns include those with disabilities, and that there should be a separate drive aimed at women with disabilities. It also requested that vaccination drives in states and districts should be planned with the participation of organisations and citizens with disabilities so their concerns and issues can be addressed with ease.