Union Health Minister Harsh VardhanÂ
With West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee looking for a uniform vaccination coverage for the nation, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Friday assured her that the Modi authorities was firm in its resolve to help the state fight the COVID-19 pandemic, but additionally flagged greater than 40 p.c positivity charge in some districts of the state.
In a four-page letter addressed to her and posted on his Twitter timeline, Vardhan congratulated Banerjee for her victory within the just lately held meeting elections and likewise requested her to deal with conducting extra assessments to detect infections within the state.
Referring to her letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on “further requirements for COVID-19 management in West Bengal”, the minister stated the Centre has been supporting each state “not just financially, but also through requisite diagnostics, therapeutics, medical devices, and other essential materials and services”.
He additional flagged a excessive positivity charge of over 40 p.c in some districts of West Bengal and asserted that testing wanted to be considerably ramped up.
“Similarly, we will need to augment the health infrastructure in the state significantly,” he wrote. The letter got here on a day when the West Bengal authorities moved the Supreme Court looking for instructions to disband the Phase-III vaccine coverage of the Centre and adoption of a uniform coverage of procuring 100% doses of COVID-19 from vaccine producers for equitable distribution to all of the states and Union territories totally free decentralized distribution.
The state authorities additionally sought to put aside the differential pricing mechanism for COVID-19 vaccines and capping the value for the vaccines at a uniform worth of Rs 150 per dose.
The plea within the apex court docket adopted letters written by Banerjee to Modi on varied necessities listed by her for combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vardhan, in his letter, additionally stated that the target of the COVID vaccination program launched by the central authorities is to make sure that all residents of the nation are coated finally, dividing them into precedence age teams primarily based on their vulnerability and mortality threat.
“In accordance with the demand raised by the states, the New Liberalized Pricing and Accelerated National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy, which has just kicked off, decentralizes the process and incentivizes the manufacturers to produce more. Equally, it encourages off-shore vaccine manufacturers to bring their vaccines into our country, thereby increasing the overall availability of the vaccines in India,” the letter acknowledged.
He stated the Centre will proceed to present COVID-19 vaccine free to all of the states/UTs, together with West Bengal, for protection of healthcare staff, frontline staff, and individuals above 45 years of age calculated on the premise of the common consumption of the state.
As on date, West Bengal has been offered a complete of 1,18,83,340 vaccine doses. Further 2,00,000 vaccine doses are within the pipeline for rapid provide, he stated.
Based on the month-to-month manufacturing of vaccine producers and Central Drugs Laboratory cleared doses projected to be obtainable with the vaccine producers, the variety of doses obtainable for “other than Government of India channel” was labored out on a state-wise inhabitants of 18 to 44 years pro-rata.
The Union well being ministry has up to now offered West Bengal with 18.38 lakh N95 masks, 4.84 lakh PPE kits, 1,245 ventilators, and 43.5 lakh Hydroxychloroquine tablets for the administration of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vardhan identified.
As many as 5 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) crops have been sanctioned for the state, out of which, two have already been put in and made purposeful. Similarly, 849 D-Type and 1504 B-Type oxygen cylinders have been allotted to West Bengal. Out of this, 700 can be delivered on or earlier than May 21. This whole assist has been offered freed from price, he stated.
Vardhan added that as many as 94,400 vials of Remdesivir have, accordingly, been allotted to West Bengal for the interval April 21 to May 9. The Centre has, as well as, delivered one other 3,686 and 4,402 vials of Remdesivir in two tranches between May 4 and May 5, he stated.
“Meanwhile, all steps are being taken to ensure increased availability of domestic Remdesivir in the country. On the Tocilizumab front, the Union government is making all efforts for equitable availability across the country, based on the active caseload in each state,” learn the letter.
Apart from the supply of important medical gadgets and medicines, West Bengal has been supported with a monetary grant of Rs 295.28 crore underneath the COVID-19 bundle, it stated.
Vardhan additionally highlighted that West Bengal has been allotted 308 MT of oxygen to meet the demand for oxygen from April 25 onwards.
“In this regard, we had allocated the maximum possible amount to West Bengal at the time of the issue of the aforesaid order. Once the allocations are made, states are required to lift the allocated quantities from the assigned manufacturers,” he stated.
“… orders for oxygen cylinders have been placed for an additional 1,27,000 cylinders on April 21. The said procurement includes 54,000 jumbo cylinders (D type) as well as 73,000 regular cylinders (B type). Under this initiative, a tentative allocation for West Bengal is 849 D-Type and 1504 B-Type cylinders. Out of this, 700 cylinders will be delivered to the state on or before May 21,” he added.
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