As the Punjab authorities is buckling underneath the alleged “vaccine scam” levelled by the opposition within the state, the Captain Amarinder Singh-led Congress dispensation on Saturday stated that solely 600 out of 42,000 vaccine doses ‘sold’ to personal hospitals had been administered by the hospitals, to this point. The remaining 41,400 vaccines will now be taken again from them.
Congress chief Jaiveer Shergill on Saturday morning attacked the Centre, referring to the Punjab authorities’s order cancelling vaccine provide to personal hospitals and recalling the shares, over defective ventilators equipped to states and demanded an apology.
“Now, when will Central Govt recall faulty ventilators supplied to States, apologise & give refund to donors of PMCare Fund? BJP must learn diff b/w preaching & practising accountability,” he wrote on Twitter.
On Friday, CM Singh intervened into the matter and withdraw its order of diverting its vaccine shares to personal hospitals at a marked-up worth. The newest order stated the sooner determination was “not taken in the right spirit”.
Meanwhile, the Centre has sought a report from the Punjab authorities over studies that claimed diversion of 40,000 doses of Covaxin it had procured for Rs 400 final month to personal hospitals at a 165% larger worth of Rs 1,060, thereby making a revenue of Rs 660 on every dose, which interprets to over Rs 2.5 crore.
Chronology of Events
June 2 – On Wednesday, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu directed all civil surgeons to guarantee personal hospitals show Covid remedy expenses, a transfer aimed at stopping overcharging by these well being amenities. Sidhu additionally stated that no personal hospital can cost greater than the notified remedy prices.
If anybody is charged greater than the federal government notified prices, such a particular person can elevate a grievance with the deputy commissioner or civil Surgeon involved, he stated in an official launch. The state authorities has already issued directions to district administrations on this regard.
The well being minister stated it has been introduced to his discover that even after instructions issued by the federal government, some hospitals have overcharged COVID-19 sufferers. He stated taking discover of such incidents, FIRs have been registered in opposition to these hospitals underneath Epidemic Diseases Act and Disaster Management Act. Sidhu appreciated the civil surgeons who took immediate motion on the complaints, after which many personal hospitals refunded cash to sufferers’ households.
June 3 – Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal on Thursday demanded a excessive courtroom monitored probe into the way by which the Congress authorities in Punjab was taking part in with the individuals’s lives by creating a synthetic scarcity of vaccines by promoting vaccine doses at a hefty revenue to personal hospitals.
The SAD president advised the media right here that a case must be registered in opposition to Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu for diverting vaccines meant for the frequent man to personal establishments whilst he averred that the difficulty had the makings of a main rip-off.
He stated the scandal had additionally uncovered Congress chief Rahul Gandhi who had not too long ago demanded free vaccines for all.
“Rahul Gandhi should say if he supports the Punjab government’s move to force the common man to pay Rs 1,560 per dose.”
June 4 – Under flak from the opposition for “diverting” Covid vaccines to private hospitals to make a profit, the Punjab government on Friday asked them to return all stock meant for the 18-44 age group. The dramatic turnabout came after opposition parties Shiromani Akali Dal, Aam Aadmi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party – slammed the Congress government for selling to private hospitals doses meant to be administered free.
The Centre has sought a clarification from the Punjab government following media reports alleging that it “sold” COVID-19 vaccine to private hospitals and “earned a profit”. Prima facie, it is in clear violation of the Liberalized Pricing and Accelerated National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy, said Additional Secretary in the Health Ministry Vandana Gurnani to the principal secretary of the Punjab government’s Health Department.
The Centre too wrote to the state government, seeking a clarification over reports that it sold Covaxin to private hospitals and earned a profit. Earlier in the day, Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said he has ordered a probe into the allegations.
And hours later, the state government issued the new order, withdrawing one-time instructions to private hospitals to vaccinate people in the 18-44 years category. Now, the recalled vaccine doses will be administered free to this age group by the government, the minister told the media.
The order of providing one-time limited vaccine doses to 18-44 years age group population through private hospitals has not been taken in the right spirit and is hereby withdrawn, the new government note said. Further, it has been decided that the private hospitals should return forthwith all the vaccine doses available with them, Vikas Garg, who is in charge of Punjab’s Covid vaccination programme, said in the order.
Once they get their own direct supplies from the manufacturers, the private hospitals will also return to the state government the doses they have already used up. The minister said about 42,000 doses had been allotted to private hospitals, and they have administered only 600 of them so far. He said instruction has been issued to all civil surgeons not make any fresh allotment to them.
Private hospitals will now get direct supplies of vaccination from the manufacturers. The amount deposited by them in the vaccine fund will be refunded by the government. Till late evening, however, the Punjab government had not responded to the charge that it made a profit when it allotted the vaccine stocks to private hospitals.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh alleged that the state government sold 40,000 Covaxin doses at Rs 1,060 each out of the 1.14 lakh it received last month for Rs 420 each from the Centre. He claimed these were sold to 20 private hospitals, which in turn sold them for Rs 1,560 per dose.
June 5 – The Punjab government said that it will take back 41,400 doses from private hospitals as only 600 out of 42,000 vaccine doses ‘sold’ to private hospitals had been administered by the hospitals so far.
Meanwhile, amid the fiasco over vaccine “loot” in Punjab, Congress shot a letter to the Centre over the “the insufficient supply and varying prices of vaccines”
“Vaccination is the only protection in the midst of the raging Covid-19 pandemic. Modi Government’s vaccination strategy has been a dangerous cocktail of blunders and bloopers”. It additionally emphasised, “the need of the hour is that Union BJP Govt should procure the vaccine and supply for free to the States and private hospitals for vaccinating the people of India. Anything less is a huge disservice to India and its people,” the Congress letter learn.
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