CHANDIGARH, 27 June 2026: In a landmark step, the Hon’ble Governor of Punjab and Administrator, UT Chandigarh, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria inaugurated Northern India’s first dedicated “Adult and Elderly Vaccination Clinic” in the Public sector , The first of its kind in Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, Chandigarh, on Saturday, June 27, 2026.
Established by the Department of Community Medicine, GMCH-32, in collaboration with the Rotary Club Chandigarh Central, the clinic marks a landmark achievement in preventive healthcare aimed at promoting healthy ageing in alignment with “Healthy Ageing Concept Of World Health Organisation(WHO)” .The clinic administers vaccines against Influenza, Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis), Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Varicella, Shingles (Herpes Zoster), Pneumococcal disease (PCV20), and Hepatitis B.
Appreciating the initiative as a pioneering public health model, the Hon’ble Governor emphasized that Adult and Elderly immunization is an integral component of preventive healthcare and healthy ageing and stressed that such innovative initiatives can serve as a model for replication across the country.
Dr Sonia Puri, Head, Department of Community Medicine, GMCH-32, who spearheaded the initiative of establishing the clinic, briefed the gathering that while childhood immunization has received due policy attention, adult and elderly vaccination remains a neglected area, with no comprehensive national guidelines and limited organized services for life-course immunization. She further elaborated that the clinic would provide several specialized services, including individualised vaccine counselling, pre-vaccination risk assessment based on age and co-morbidities, lifelong digital vaccination records, digital dose reminders, and post-vaccination follow-up.
Dr Puri also announced that the Department is working towards launching an “Adult and Elderly Vaccination Digital Registry”, envisaged to be the first of its kind in India and modelled on the successful Co-WIN and U-WIN platforms, enabling lifelong electronic immunization records and strengthening adult vaccination services in the public health system.
The establishment of the clinic at a premier government medical institution underscores a growing recognition that healthy ageing must be actively supported through institutional mechanisms — and that preventive care, particularly vaccination, must extend well beyond childhood. As India's elderly population continues to grow rapidly, initiatives such as these at GMCH-32 could not have come at a more suitable time, supporting the vision of “Decade of Healthy Ageing” led by WHO (World Health Organisation).
