Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has expressed concern over the new vaccine policy of the centre and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure supply of entire dose of vaccines required by state government's free of cost.
In a letter sent to Modi, Vijayan said that though the new policy states that state government's would be supplied vaccine from the 50 per cent quota based on critera, the states may be given a reassurance that they would no be left to compete with the open market players.
Vijayan suggested that instead of supplying 50 per cent of the vaccines to the centre and the remaining 50 per cent to state governments and open market, the vaccine supply shall be made through a common channel involving the centre and state governments.
The state government have constitutional obligation in the health sector and hence required assured quota for free distribution during the pandemic. Moreover, the states were not in a position to meet the additional financial burden of purchasing Covid vaccines, Vijayan pointed out.
He also urged the centre to allow additional vaccine doses to state at the earliest as Kerala's vaccination drive was hit owing to the scarcity. While the state sought 50 lakh doses, it received only 5.5 lakh, he said.
Published 20 April 2021, 17:50 IST