The Punjab government on Friday has taken aU-turn on the decision of selling Covid-19 vaccine to the private hospitalsafter the ruling ‘BJP’ party has leveled profiteering allegations on them.
The government has now withdrawn its decisionto provide one-time Covid-19 vaccine doses to the private hospitals for the third phase of vaccination i.e. for the age group of 18-45 years. Reacting tothe allegations of profiteering, the govt said its decision “had not been takenin the right spirit.”
Furthermore, all the private hospitals havebeen directed to return the procured stock of Covid vaccine doses that may havebeen either used or unused. Additionally, these hospitals can now only get thevaccine doses from the manufacturers in the form of direct supply.
Also, the state govt will refund the amountdeposited by the private hospitals for the vaccine procurement.
Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu,earlier on Friday said, he will initiate an inquiry and will personallyintervene into the allegations leveled on the govt for earning profits fromvaccine selling.
Reiterating here, the Centre govt has accusedPunjab govt of selling more than 1.40 lakh dosesof Covaxin at Rs 400, which the Congress government allegedly sold to 20private hospitals for Rs 1,000.