Karnataka urges firms to buy private quota Covid-19 vaccines with CSR funds, give it to government

Health Minister K Sudhakar met industry leaders in the pharmaceutical sector here on Tuesday and requested them to purchase Covid vaccines allocated to the state under the private quota and provide them to the state government.

He will soon meet leaders in the nutrition, AYUSH and major industries space.

The minister said the CM will soon meet information technology-biotechnology czars and high net worth individuals who are philanthropic in nature to request them for the same.

Sudhakar plans to visit Delhi next week to request the Centre for increasing the state's vaccine allocation.

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Industry representatives responded positively to the minister's request, promising to support the government's vaccination campaign through the pharmaceutical industry and their businesses.

They made it clear at the meeting that they would respond as soon as possible after conveying the government's message to the governing bodies of their respective companies.

The meeting was attended by representatives of more than 30 companies in the state.

"We need to address vaccination concerns in districts bordering Kerala, which are more likely to see more Covid cases because of the situation prevailing in the neighbouring state. The focus now is increasing vaccination in the border districts," Sudhakar told reporters.

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"This time, they (the central government) have assured us of 75 lakh doses, of which we have got 35 to 40 lakhs. With another 14-15 days to go, I am still optimistic that they will increase the allocation to Karnataka this month," he said.

During the minister's previous visit to Delhi, he had requested for 1.5 crore doses to be supplied every month, but that has not happened yet.

Oxygen infra

Currently, seven companies are producing 812 tonnes of oxygen per day.

There are 64 oxygen refilling units. Gadag, Chikkaballapur, Chitradurga, Bidar, Yadgir, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu and Mandya, in the next few days, will have oxygen units, they will be built in all taluks and districts, Sudhakar said.

"Care will be taken not to repeat past mistakes. All necessary preparations are being made, including installation of new units, calling tenders, purchasing of jumbo cylinders, additional inventory and supply system. Private companies need to strengthen their production and inventory systems," he said.