Vaccine to divide the world between Haves and Havenots.

Mamata raises price grading of vaccine with PM; says it’s anti-federal, anti-poor

States to pay higher price than Centre; Maha may look for vaccines in global market

Agency Report | Kolkata/Mumbai | 22 April, 2021 | 11:00 PM

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging that the "liberalised and accelerated Phase 3 Strategy of Covid-19 Vaccination" is highly discriminatory and anti-people. The chief minister has been vocal after the vaccine manufacturing unit fixed different prices for state governments, private facilities and the Central government.

“First why are the prices of vaccines different in cases of the state government? GOI gets the vaccine from the manufacturers @rs 150 per dose, while you have fixed for us, the states, a price of Rs 400 per dose! States will need to pay 167% extra over and above the rates that GOI has fixed for itself. This is anti-federal and anti-poor. States will buy vaccines for the poor and the young, hence your policy is both anti-poor and anti-youth. Such a peculiar differentiation of rates is also unheard of in the history. In fact, never ever has any state in the country been asked to buy vaccines in any mass immunization drive, let alone at such hugely high rates! ” the chief minister wrote.

Banerjee also wrote, “fixing rate for private hospitals at Rs 600 per dose is not only discriminatory but it is also unhealthy as it is likely to trigger unscrupulous mechanisms in the market”.

Warning that the situation is grave and it is not the time to do business, the chief minister added, “I strongly feel that every Indian should get a free vaccine, regardless of age, caste, creed, location at one price — irrespective of who pays — the Centre or the state”.

The chief minister’s reaction came when the Serum Institute of India (SII) announced on Wednesday that the Covishield vaccine will be sold at Rs 400 per dose to the state governments and Rs 600 to private hospitals, Covishield is known as AstraZeneca vaccine across the world. The price for the same vaccine is pegged at Rs 150 per dose for the central government.

SII, an Indian biotechnology and pharmaceuticals company, issued a statement after the government allowed vaccination of all persons above the age of 18 from May 1. The decision was announced after a meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with pharma companies, doctors, Cabinet ministers in charge of health, drugs and officials spanning multiple nodal ministries.

Meanwhile, amid shortages and uncertainties over availability and delivery of Covid-19 vaccines, the Maharashtra government plans to form a committee to scout for vaccines from the international markets, said Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik here on Thursday.

“We have discussed in the state cabinet a proposal to this effect and appointed a committee to scout for vaccines wherever available, nationally or internationally. However, a final decision on the same is pending,” Malik told media persons in Parbhani.

The state is also in touch with the top honchos of Bharat Biotech which is producing Covaxin, even as the state girdles for the next phase of vaccination for all people aged above 18 from May 1.

Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that the Serum Institute of India (SII), Pune has conveyed to the state government that it would not be able to deliver its consignments directly till May 25 as it has prior commitment with the Centre.

The government will also make efforts to import vaccines from Sputnik V, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna and Tope said there would be no dearth of funds if the doses are available.

However, late on Thursday, the government clarified that SII has not contracted all its production to the Centre and states were at liberty to procure Covid vaccines from the manufacturers under the Liberalised Pricing and Accelerated National Covid-19 Vaccination Strategy.

Under the new policy, the manufacturers would supply 50 per cent of their production to the Centre and the rest to states and ‘other than Government of India channel’ every month.

Faced with a huge task of procuring vaccines for the next phase, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday held an online conference with SII CEO Adar Poonawalla to discuss the issues.

Moreover, the SII move to supply the Covishield vaccines at Rs 400 for the states and Rs 600 to private hospitals, compared with the Rs 150 to the Centre, has not gone down well with the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Against the current shortages, the state expects massive rush at vaccination centres in the second phase when people above 18 years will also be given vaccines. (IANS)