November 30, 2020: With talks about COVID-19 vaccines and their distribution gaining momentum, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Sunday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, offering its services 'free-of-cost' for the effective implementation of the vaccine across the country.

"IMA offers its sincere cooperation and support to the Government in making available the vaccination services to our people across the country. All the IMA members will offer their services voluntarily and free of cost. The vaccines have to be provided as per cold chain conditions along with the disposables. This will be a force amplifier for the vaccination programme and substantially increase the number of outlets available for the people," said IMA's letter.

IMA said it will offer the services of more than 3 lakhs of its members who are 'qualified modern medicine doctors' for government's COVID-19 vaccination programme.

"IMA has 1,750 local branches spread over all the districts of the country. An effective top to down command and control is in place with 28 state branches. Most of the members have a small team of nurses for their professional practice. A large number of small and medium hospitals and nursing homes in sub-district towns are run by IMA members," IMA stated.

The medical body said that its practitioners are available even in remote, hilly districts and areas not easily accessible, and many of them have taken part in the Pulse Polio and many other government welfare programmes.

It also stated that medical practitioners will work with the government with full zeal and strength at all levels to implement the programme on war footing so as to reach each and every citizen of the country at the earliest.