Under fire, Punjab govt halts vax sale to pvt hospitals

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 4

Facing heat over its decision of selling Covid vaccine to private hospitals, the state government today took a U-turn and withdrew the order.

On the directions of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, the state government today issued an order to take back vaccines from private hospitals with immediate effect.

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Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said: “The instructions of providing one-time limited vaccine doses to private hospitals has been withdrawn by the state and all these vaccines will be administered free of cost to those aging 18 to 44 years at government vaccination centres.”

Now, direct supply from manufacturers

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• As per fresh orders, private hospitals will now get direct supply of vaccine from manufacturers
• All these vaccines will be administered free of cost to the 18-44 age group at government centres
• The amount deposited by private facilities in the vaccine fund will be refunded shortly

Sidhu said as per information provided by Vikas Garg, state in-charge for Covid vaccination, around 42,000 doses had been allotted to private hospitals from which only 600 had been administered to people. “Instructions have been issued to all civil surgeons that no fresh allotment should be made to any private hospital and the private hospitals should return forthwith all the vaccine doses available with them,” he said.

The minister said private hospitals would now get direct supplies of vaccine from the manufacturers. “The amount deposited by the private hospitals in the vaccine fund will be refunded shortly,” he said.

In the order withdrawing vaccine, the Covid vaccination in-charge said: “The order of providing one-time limited vaccine doses to 18-44 age group population through private hospitals has not been taken in the right spirit and so hereby withdrawn.” The order further said the doses private hospitals had utilised should also be returned after they get direct supplies from manufacturers.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister of State Anurag Thakur had on Thursday alleged that the Punjab and Rajasthan Governments were black marketing vaccine. He alleged: “The Centre buys vaccines from manufacturers and sells those to the states at Rs 400 per dose, but Punjab is selling those to private hospitals at Rs 1,060 for which those hospitals are collecting Rs 1,560 from the public.”