Union Health Minister for export of unused vaccines: Private hospitals' body

The private sector may soon have a solution to utilising their 50 lakh unused Covid-19 vaccine doses as the Union Health Minister has suggested exporting these vaccine doses, according to private hospital body AHPI.

The AHPI (Association of Healthcare Providers of India) has 12,000 private-member hospitals across India. The association had a meeting with Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on November 16.

Those who met him include cardiac surgeon Dr Devi Shetty, who is an AHPI patron, Dr Alexander Thomas, national president of AHPI, and Dr Giridhar Gyani, director-general of AHPI.

In the meeting, while the doctors asked the government to buy back the doses, the minister is said to have suggested exports, instead. The vaccine doses were bought at differential prices by state governments and the private sector.

The doctors told DH that by the end of the weekend, they expect an action plan from the minister on when they can start returning the doses to manufacturers in order for them to export them.

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Dr Thomas said, “The private hospitals have 50 lakh unused Covid vaccine doses with them. They are not going to get to use it as the government centres are administering the doses for free to everybody. We bought these vaccines in the hope that it will be of help to the government.”

“We told the minister that we will be happy to give it to the government at the same rate at which we bought it. The minister was not keen on buying back at all, probably because of the differential pricing. He said he will instead ensure export licences are available so that the doses can be exported to other countries. He has instructed the officials concerned regarding this. It will be given to a central entity and exported to other countries from there.”

Dr Gyani said, “Since there is surplus with us, we wanted the government to buy back. The government can also export to a large number of countries. Minister Mandaviya himself came up with the idea. These vaccine doses will be collected back by the Serum Institute of India.”

“Covaxin comprises just 12% of the unused doses out of the 50 lakh doses. Since it is expensive, the private sector did not go for Covaxin. At the peak of the vaccination drive, it did not have WHO approval either. Since most of the population needs vaccination for travel, business, and education purposes abroad, 85% of the doses purchased by us were Covishield. By this weekend, the ministry will convey their decision to us.”

Dr Devi Shetty did not respond to DH’s queries.

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