Amid outrage over the “differential pricing” of COVID-19 vaccines arranged by the Centre and state governments, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare on Saturday, 24 April, issued a clarification saying that the former will continue providing the shots procured by it to the states for free.
It added that the Centre would continue to procure both the vaccines at Rs 150 per dose.
The ministry made the clarification on Twitter after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh quoted newspapers and tweeted, “Covishield at Rs 400 for new govt procurement is higher than what govts of US, UK, EU, Saudi, Bangladesh & SA pay. Made in India & highest price for India? By SII’s own admission profits are made even at Rs 150."
The issue began after Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) on Wednesday had announced that it had fixed the price of their Covishield vaccine at Rs 600 per dose for private hospitals and Rs 400 per dose for state governments.
The price for the same vaccine, however, has been fixed at Rs 150 per dose for the central government.
The Centre had said on Monday that vaccine manufacturers would be free to supply 50 percent doses to state governments and in the open market for which they will have to make an advance declaration of the price before 1 May.
Opposition Leaders Slam Differential Prices
Several Opposition leaders criticised the incumbent central government of ‘non uniformity’ and ‘unfair’ pricing, pointing out the difference between the prices paid for the vaccine by the Centre and the states.
Criticising the new vaccination pricing, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "Disaster of the country, opportunity for friends of Modi. Injustice of the central government,” with the hashtag #VaccinationDiscrimination.
Senior party leader Sonia Gandhi on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, “Policy implies GoI has abdicated responsibility to provide free vaccination for these citizens...Urge you to intervene and reverse ill-considered decision.”
"This is not the time to do business. It is a time when everybody should work together for the betterment of human beings," West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in a press conference in Malda district on Wednesday evening. She also tweeted, “One nation, one party, one leader shouts BJP all the time but to save lives they can’t have one price for vaccine.”
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury called the policy ‘another scam in the making’, while DMK President MK Stalin called it ‘discriminatory and said it defeats the objective of universal vaccination.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)