Punjab withdraws order to supply vaccines to private hospitals amid row

After political furore, state health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu announces probe into sale of 80,000 Covaxin doses at a premium to private hospitals

After embarrassment over its move to sell Covaxin doses to private hospitals at a premium, the Punjab government on Friday decided to take back the Covid-19 vaccines.

Hindustan Times had reported on Thursday how the Punjab government was selling the Covaxin vaccine bought for ₹400 a dose to private hospitals for ₹1,060 a dose. These hospitals were administering the vaccine to the common man for ₹1,560 a dose. (HT file photo)

According to official sources, the decision was taken on the directions of state health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu who also announced a probe into the sale of the Covid vaccine to private hospitals.

“The state has decided to take back the vaccines from private hospitals and the payment is to be given back. A letter will come soon,” read a WhatsApp message sent by a senior IAS official on a group of civil surgeons of Punjab.

Principal Secretary, health, Hussan Lal has confirmed that the government is taking back the vaccines from private hospitals.

One-time measure or considered move?

On Thursday, Hindustan Times reported how the state government was selling the Covaxin bought for ₹400 a dose to private hospitals for ₹1,060 a dose. These hospitals were administering the vaccine to the common man for ₹1,560 a dose.

The HT report showed how the Punjab government was making money on the pretext of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by selling Covaxin doses procured from its quota to the private hospitals. The state health authorities on Thursday had again justified the move, saying that it was “only a one-time measure”.

So far, 80,000 doses have been sold to private facilities, 30,000 of which went to a single hospital in Mohali, an official said, requesting anonymity.

The government could have earned more than ₹5crore from the sale of vaccines.

The state nodal officer for vaccination and senior IAS officer, Vikas Garg, on Wednesday justified the state government’s decision, saying the profit would be used only to buy vaccines and this was a one-time measure. “The decision of providing the vaccine doses to private hospitals was taken on public demand,” he said.

However, Hindustan Times has learnt that it was a well thought out move to create a CSR fund.

An official privy to the developments, requesting anonymity, said the one-time-measure statement came after discussions among senior health functionaries who were the brain behind the idea of generating funds from vaccines.

It is learnt that the vaccine was provided to some private hospitals on Thursday against advance payments made by them.

Political slugfest over pandemic premium

Union ministers Prakash Javadekar and Anurag Thakur, Shiromani Akali Dal leaders Sukhbir Singh Badal and Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Aam Aadmi Party state chief Bhagwant Maan criticised the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government for “making profit from the pandemic”.

Thakur accused the Punjab government of black-marketing vaccines. “Punjab has shown a careless and callous attitude towards the people of the state by charging four times from people for the jab. Why should an individual pay over ₹3,120 for two doses when the Centre is providing vaccines free to the state government? Instead of facilitating the vaccination process, the Punjab government is looting the people during the pandemic,” he said.

“Will (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi investigate why vaccines have been supplied to Congress cronies who are charging a pandemic premium and indulging in black-marketing instead of saving the lives of the poor? And does he have the courage to question his own party’s government in Punjab?” Thakur added.