Centre’s order to cap vaccine price too late, says Balbir Sidhu

Sidhu said the decision was taken at a much later stage when private hospitals had already made huge profits

Punjab health and family welfare minister Balbir Singh Sidhu on Wednesday said that central government’s order of capping of Covid vaccines prices for private hospitals is too late.

Balbir Singh Sidhu, Punjab health minister.

Reacting to the latest decision of the central government to cap the vaccines prices, Sidhu said this decision was taken at a much later stage when private hospitals had already made huge profits, while the BJP leaders raised the false allegations that Punjab government is making profit by supplying the vaccines to private facilities.

The state government is under fire for selling vaccines at a premium to private hospitals.

The minister also asked the Centre for administering free vaccines to all. “Keeping in view of administering free vaccine to all, the Centre should abolish 25% quota allocated to private players,” he said.

He also urged to the Union government to refund all payments made by state governments for Covid vaccines under new policy.