Supreme Court to take up matter on Covid-19 management on May 10, may focus on vaccination policy

The top court may put its thrust on the issue to Covid-19 vaccination policy

The Supreme Court is to scheduled to take up on May 10 a suo motu matter related to ensuring essential supplies and drugs and vaccine policy during the Covid-19 pandemic. After the formation of National Task Force for ensuring adequate supplies of oxygen, its audits and availability of essentials drugs, the court may now focus on vaccine policy of the Centre, which came under criticism for allowing differential pricing for the states.

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud, L Nageswara Rao and S Ravindra Bhat would take up the matter on May 10, along with a host of petitions, including the one seeking withdrawal of all advertisements for Kumbh Mela at Haridwar.

lso read — Supreme Court constitutes National Task Force to look into oxygen distribution

On April 30, the top court had asked the central government to revisit its initiatives and protocols on availability of oxygen, vaccines, and its pricing, and essential drugs at affordable prices and respond by May 10.

It had then also directed the formulation of a national policy on admissions of patients to hospitals to be followed by all states to ensure that no patient is denied hospitalisation or essential drugs for lack of local residential proof.

In this regard, a notification has been issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stating that no patients of Covid-19 should be turned away on any count.

The court had earlier also directed the central and state governments to notify all Chief Secretaries and Directors General of Police that any clampdown on information on social media or harassment caused to individuals seeking or delivering help on any platform will attract a coercive exercise of jurisdiction.

However, there were reports that the Uttar Pradesh lodged an FIR on May 5 against Sun Hospital at Lucknow for "spreading rumour" on oxygen supply and asking relatives to take away their patients.

The court had also ordered the Centre to prepare, in collaboration with the states, a buffer stock of oxygen for emergency purposes and decentralise the location of the emergency stocks.

Also read — Supreme Court orders audit of oxygen supplies to states

However, in a separate case, the court set up a 12-member National Task Force (NTF), comprising experts from medical field, to facilitate public health response, including on supply of oxygen and essential drugs.

As the terms of reference for the NTF did not include vaccination policy, the top court on Monday may put its thrust on the issue as it had already on April 30 asked the Centre to revisit vaccine pricing policy for it constituted public good where there should not be any discrimination between different class of citizens.

It had then said compelling the state governments to negotiate with manufacturers on the ground of promoting competition will result in a serious detriment to the people, particularly the 'Bahujans' or other underprivileged and marginalised groups, having no ability to pay.

The West Bengal government has already filed an application seeking disbanding the “Liberalised and Accelerated Phase 3 Strategy of Covid-19 Vaccination” policy, saying it was detrimental to state's interest and will result in an inequitable distribution. "Figures of Rs 400 (now Rs 300) and Rs 600, for Covishield and Covaxin, respectively, is completely opaque and in fact higher than the cost per dose for vaccines across the world,” it had said.