Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa has introduced a new long-term vaccination strategy aimed at extending immunisation services beyond childhood and across different stages of life.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane launched the Goa Policy for Life-Course Immunization 2026-2036 on Wednesday. The policy proposes vaccination schedules that take into account a person’s age as well as individual health risks.
The framework gives special attention to senior citizens, people with compromised immunity and organ transplant recipients.
It also identifies individuals living with conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as groups that may require additional protection through vaccination.
The state plans to make use of its existing primary healthcare infrastructure and immunisation network to provide vaccines to adolescents and adults, while maintaining the ongoing childhood vaccination programme.
Vaccines covered under the policy include those offering protection against influenza, pneumococcal disease, hepatitis B and tetanus-diphtheria.
The policy was formulated after consultations with public health experts and the Goa Institute of Management.
It also proposes training programmes for healthcare workers and mechanisms to identify people who could benefit from vaccination based on their age and medical risk factors.
With the new framework, Goa aims to make vaccination a continuing part of healthcare throughout a person’s life, rather than treating immunisation primarily as a childhood intervention.
