Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday upbraided the Punjab government for allegedly trying to make profits by selling Centre-allocated COVID-19 vaccines to private hospitals. Puri also slammed Rajasthan where several vials of vaccines were reported being thrown out into the garbage.
“The Congress party has been fuelling vaccine hesitancy. Rahul and Sonia (Gandhi) ji keep saying that we should not export vaccines. Rahul Gandhi asks - where are our children's vaccines? In Rajasthan they are in the garbage, and in Punjab they are being used for profiteering," Puri said at a press conference in Delhi, reported ANI.
The Union minister said in Punjab, the COVID-19 vaccines which should be provided free of cost to people were sold at higher prices to private hospitals. “A dose of Covishield that was purchased at Rs 309 was been sold at Rs 1,560,” he said.
As per the Punjab government’s in-charge of COVID-19 vaccination, the state has procured 4.29 lakh doses of Covishield at Rs 13.25 crore.
Meanwhile, under fire from the opposition parties, the state government on Friday withdrew its order on selling vaccine to private hospital. The Congress government has directed private hospitals to return all vaccine doses available with them, and offered to refund the amount.
The Times of India on Saturday quoted Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu as saying that the instruction to provide one-time limited vaccine doses to private hospitals has been withdrawn on the directions of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. Sidhu said instructions have been given to all civil surgeons not to make fresh allotments to private hospitals.
