Pfizer Expands Awareness on Adult Immunization in India with Digital Kiosk at Bombay Hospital
Pilot initiative forms part of a planned network of 30 digital kiosks across healthcare institutions in the country, with an ambition to reach more than 5 lakh adults over one year.
Pfizer India, in collaboration with Bombay Hospital, today launched a Digital Adult Immunization Awareness Kiosk in Mumbai, as part of its efforts to strengthen awareness around adult immunization and vaccine-preventable diseases and support a shift towards proactive prevention for healthier ageing. The Bombay Hospital kiosk will serve as a pilot for a planned network of 30 digital awareness kiosks across healthcare institutions and physician partnerships in India.
India is undergoing a significant demographic shift, with the population aged 60 years and above expected to increase from around 153 million in 2022 to approximately 347 million by 2050i. As the population ages, strengthening preventive healthcare across adulthood will become increasingly important. With advancing age, adults can be more vulnerable to vaccine-preventable infections due to age-related changes in immune function and underlying health conditions.
Against this backdrop, the Digital Adult Immunization Awareness Kiosk is designed as a self-education touchpoint within healthcare settings, providing information on vaccine-preventable diseases, including pneumococcal disease, influenza, shingles. The kiosk also features a risk-assessment tool to help individuals better understand potential risk factors for vaccine-preventable diseases and provide a basis for further discussion with their healthcare professionals.
The kiosk was unveiled in the presence of senior Pfizer leaders from India and global teams, alongside Dr Rajkumar Patil (Director Medical Services), Dr Narsinha Reddy (Jt Director Marketing), Dr Sagar Sakle (Deputy Director Medical), Dr Avya Bansal (Consultant, Pulmonologist) from Bombay Hospital.
The initiative forms part of Pfizer’s broader efforts to support more informed conversations around adult immunization in India. Through the 30 kiosks planned for implementation across India, Pfizer aims to raise awareness among more than 5 lakh adults over one year, bringing adult immunization and preventive-health education at the fingertips of individuals within trusted healthcare settings.
Dr. Pankaj Gupta, Head – Medical Affairs, Pfizer India, said: “Healthy aging is an important part of building a stronger India – where prevention and immunization have a meaningful role in helping people live healthier and more active lives as they age. At Pfizer, we are committed to advancing science and strengthening awareness around vaccine-preventable diseases. Through our collaboration with Bombay Hospital, we aim to make credible information on adult immunization more accessible and support informed conversations between individuals and their healthcare professionals. This initiative is an important step in strengthening the focus on prevention across adulthood”.
Dr Rajkumar Patil, Director Medical Services, Bombay Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Mumbai said: “Preventive healthcare is an important part of ensuring better health outcomes across adulthood. At Bombay Hospital, we recognize the need to make credible information on adult immunization available, so people are encouraged to discuss appropriate preventive measures with their healthcare professionals. We are glad to be the first healthcare institution in this collaboration with Pfizer that brings together our healthcare expertise and Pfizer’s experience in vaccines to create a platform that can help educate people on the go. We are pleased to support this initiative and look forward to its expansion across healthcare institutions”.
Adult immunization remains significantly underutilized in India. A nationally representative study of more than 64,000 adults aged 45 years and older found that reported uptake was below 2% for each of the influenza, pneumococcal, typhoid and hepatitis B vaccines studied, including just 1.5% for influenza and 0.6% for pneumococcal vaccination[ii]. The findings highlight the need for greater attention to adult immunization, particularly among older adults and those living with chronic conditions.
Vaccination in India has hitherto been more closely associated with childhood, supported by an established immunization ecosystem and greater familiarity with vaccination during the early years of life. However, health needs and risk profiles evolve across adulthood, creating an opportunity to extend the vaccination conversation beyond childhood and strengthen adult immunization as part of a broader preventive-healthcare approach. Adults aged 50 years and above, as well as individuals living with relevant underlying conditions such as COPD, asthma and other chronic lung diseases, cardiovascular disease, kidney or liver disease, diabetes, or conditions associated with weakened immunity, represent important populations for preventive-health conversations.
The initiative aims to help bring adult immunization into more routine healthcare conversations by providing individuals with information relevant to different age groups and risk factors. The digital experience is intended to help individuals better understand their potential risks firsthand, support discussions with healthcare professionals and encourage informed decision-making around appropriate preventive health measures.
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