Ms Mahima Datla, senior vice president, Biological E, says, "Each of the five top vaccine companies in India has the capacity to produce the required amount of UIP vaccines, so I do not think there is any capacity bottleneck."

But Dr Krishna Ella, CMD, Bharat Biotech and president, Vaccine Manufacturers Association, India, says the public private partnership is important for India. "I would like to emphasize that India did not have a national vaccine policy for several decades and now we have it. It is essential to continue with the PPP to sustain the leadership of the Indian vaccine manufacturers in the global arena," he says. The industry is also of the opinion that they need to be more involved in the decision making process to ensure that supply needs of the government are met in a timely manner.

The policy is a reference guide for the adoption of new vaccines and for formulating the vaccine strategies in India. Speaking about the policy at a public forum, India's Health Minister Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad highlighted the importance of the document by saying, "The framing of the National Vaccine Policy has been a major step. This policy will now guide the immunization program in the country."

As Dr Ella puts it, "It is now up to the ministries of health and family welfare of the central and state governments, the NTAGI, the medical profession in general and the paediatricians in particular to add strength to the National Vaccine Policy."

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