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Delhi health minister appeals to Centre to import Covid vaccine, asks for formula to be shared with other manufacturers
To increase the vaccine supply in the country, Satyendra Jain on Thursday suggested sharing the formula of Covishield - produced by Serum Institute of India (SII) - and Covaxin - manufactured by Bharat Biotech - with all the Indian manufacturers.
Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain on Thursday echoed his party leader and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's concern of different states competing in the international market for Covid-19 vaccines and appealed to the central government to import vaccine doses from abroad at a national level. During the time of crisis, the governments need to act together, Jain added.
"Delhi Govt appeals to Central Govt to import vaccine doses from abroad at a national level rather than leaving states to fend for themselves in international markets. During this time of crisis, we need to act together, not individually," he said.
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal questioned 'where is India' as several states floating separate tenders to procure Covid-19 vaccines from abroad. He said that Indian states are left to compete with each other in the international market for the vaccine and this portrays a bad image for India.
The national capital, like other states, is facing an acute shortage of vaccine doses. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Atishi on Wednesday said that no vaccination centre in Delhi will be able to administer Covaxin to people in the age bracket of 18-44 years due to the non-availability of the stock.
To increase the vaccine supply in the country, Satyendra Jain on Thursday suggested sharing the formula of Covishield - produced by Serum Institute of India (SII) - and Covaxin - manufactured by Bharat Biotech - with all the Indian manufacturers. Jain said, "this will facilitate mass production in order to vaccinate the citizens of India."
Also read: More than 2 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines to become available in India soon
Jain also claimed that both the manufacturers have earned a profit of about ₹16,000 crore each at the expense of the common man, as he said that the current prices are exorbitant and the price of each vaccine should be capped at ₹150 per dose.
"Price of each vaccine should be capped at ₹150/dose. The current prices are exorbitant. @SerumInstIndia @BharatBiotech are profiting with about ₹16000 crore each at the expense of the common man. The life-saving vaccine should be accessible by all strata of society," Jain tweeted.
This comes after several states have announced global tenders for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines. States that have opted for importing the essential shots include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi.
