As questions resurface about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in light of reports linking some rare adverse events to sudden cardiac deaths in young adults, Indian regulators and vaccine manufacturers have stepped forward to reaffirm confidence in the country’s vaccination program. But conspicuously absent from the conversation are the private hospitals that once stood at the forefront of India’s immunization drive.
This silence, health experts warn, threatens to erode public trust just when a unified scientific voice is most needed.
Regulators and Industry Hold the Line
India’s top health regulators and vaccine makers maintain that all approved vaccines—whether Covaxin, Covishield, or newer formulations—were thoroughly tested under stringent clinical protocols before being deployed. Every batch, they stress, was cleared by the Central Drugs Laboratory in Kasauli, the country’s premier quality control body for biologics.
Dr. G.V.J.A. Harshavardhan, Director General of the Indian Vaccine Manufacturers Association, defended the record, stating that Indian vaccines went through comprehensive trials and regulatory checks. “These vaccines have been proven safe and effective. The processes followed meet the highest global standards,” he said.
Echoing this, Sudarshan Jain, Secretary General of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, warned against fueling public fear. “India produces over 60% of the world’s vaccines. This trust has been built on scientific rigor, not shortcuts. Misinformation can undo decades of progress.”
The Missing Voices: Private Healthcare
While government and industry leaders have spoken clearly, many private hospitals that once played a key role in the vaccine rollout have stayed silent. Top chains that previously administered millions of doses and hosted awareness campaigns have now either refused to comment or stated they have no official position.
This lack of engagement is raising eyebrows in public health circles.
“During the vaccination drive, these hospitals were among the most vocal and visible,” said a senior official from a national health policy think tank. “Their absence now creates a dangerous vacuum. People need reassurance from the institutions they trust.”
The Hesitation Gap
Amid rising public anxiety, even anecdotal reports—whether accurate or not—about post-vaccine side effects are circulating widely on social media. In such a climate, silence from private hospitals is being perceived not as neutrality, but as avoidance.
Several public health experts argue that hospitals must move beyond compliance and become proactive communicators in matters of public safety.
“Transparency is the only antidote to fear,” said a professor of epidemiology at a leading Delhi medical college. “If the science holds, as it does, then our leading hospitals should help amplify the message—not retreat from it.”
A Call for Unified Communication
India’s vaccination campaign, which has inoculated over a billion people, is often cited globally as a public health success. Yet the durability of that success may now depend not on science alone, but on communication. Regulators can certify, but public confidence demands broader engagement.
Health officials are now calling for coordinated messaging across the public-private spectrum. The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) and the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) are expected to hold briefings in the coming weeks.
Whether private hospitals will finally re-enter the conversation remains to be seen. Until then, their silence continues to speak volumes.
