Punjab’s U-turn on Sale of Vaccines to Private Hospitals After Opposition’s Scam Allegations

Chandigarh: After facing backlash from the opposition leaders, the Punjab government on Friday evening withdrew an order providing “one-time limited vaccine doses to 18-44 age group population through private hospitals”. The move from the state government came after the opposition Akali Dal accused the state of “diverting” Covaxin doses at “hefty margins”. In a letter signed by Vikas Garg, the state-in-charge for COVID-19 vaccination, said the order “has not been taken in the right spirit and is hereby withdrawn”.

“Further, it has been decided that the private hospitals should return forthwith all the vaccine doses available with them. The doses which they have utilised as of date should also be returned, once they get supplies from the manufacturers,” the order from the state government added.

The order further stated that the money deposited by the hospitals in the Vaccine Fund will be refunded. Just before the order was withdrawn, the Central government had written to the state asking it to “send clarification to MoHFW (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) immediately”.

In the meantime, Punjab’s Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said he has ordered a probe into the Oppositions’ allegations that the state government has been diverting Covid vaccines to private hospitals. Sidhu made the statement when he was specifically asked about the Oppositions’ allegation.

“What I have learnt through media, I have already ordered for a probe and we will order a proper inquiry. We will keep the issue before the chief minister, he said.

Without going into the specifics of the allegations, he said he will first wait for the entire picture to emerge. On the opposition allegations, Sidhu, at the outset, said the vaccine programme is not concerned with his department.

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, in a statement, had alleged that vaccine doses were not available in the state but they were being sold to private institutions instead of being given free of cost to the common man. This amounts to a cost of Rs 6,000 to Rs 9,000 per family for a single dose.

Badal had alleged that in Mohali alone, 35,000 doses were sold to private institutions to earn a profit of nearly Rs two crore in a single day.

On the other hand, SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal askd as to what is the Punjab government’s intention? “Do they want to save lives of poor people or they want to earn profit from vaccines meant for poor? It’s clear they committed a scam by taking money from private hospitals and traded vaccines meant for poor,” she alleged.

She also stated that the Punjab Government is indulged in profiteering. “After this scam came to light, they have taken the order (selling vaccines to private hospitals) back,” Harsimrat Kaur Badal stated.