The Government would do well to centralise the vaccination project and make it free for all citizens

The confusion over the multiple price brands for COVID-19 vaccines in India and their scarcity continues to hamper operations to manage the pandemic. The Prime Minister’s Office, which is seized of the issue of rapid vaccinations, stated that the Prime Minister, at a review meeting on May 7, spoke about the need to sensitise States so that the speed of vaccination does not falter. The Health Minister has also asked the States to speed up the vaccination process. There are three issues with the requests from the Centre to the States. One, there is not enough supply of vaccines. Two, the multiple price bands are making the issue complicated, with private hospitals charging a range of high prices while the vaccination is free in the Government-run hospitals. Three, the procurement of vaccines by the Central and State Governments is confusing as the Centre’s policy has ended up making the States and private hospitals compete for the same supply. Twelve Opposition parties have now written to the Centre on how to end the reign of confusion: One, the Union Government should centrally procure all vaccines. Two, there should be a free and universal mass vaccination campaign across the country. Three, invoke compulsory licensing to increase domestic vaccine production. The signatories to the letter also wondered why only Rs 5,000 crore of the budgetary allocation of the Rs 35,000 crore was spent on vaccines to date. Untangling the price and procurement beast is easier said than done.

There is no logical reason put forth by the Union Government for the complex pricing and procuring arrangements. The Centre procured all vaccines and distributed them to its centres, State Governments and private hospitals till April 30. Since May 1, the Centre procured 50 per cent of the vaccines while the State Governments, private hospitals and the open market keep vying for buying the remaining 50 per cent from manufacturers. From its share, the Centre is supposed to allocate vaccines to the States, depending on the demand. As to the pricing, the original price of Rs 150 per dose was valid only for the first consignment. The Centre then capped the price at Rs 250 but it became infructuous after the Centre inexplicably introduced price liberalisation measures. That means private hospitals can charge a person the cost of the dose plus administrative charges and, additionally, any other charges that may become applicable. It is this last criterion that has jacked up the price from anywhere between Rs 800 and Rs 1,300 per dose. An 18-year-old may not get a dose because the State he is a resident of may be giving priority to the older citizens. A resident of Delhi or Haryana may not be able to get a dose in the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh because the latter allows doses only for in-State residents. Why shouldn’t the Centre centralise the entire vaccination project as that would resolve all avoidable complications and put an end to the class divide on account of different price slabs by making the vaccines free to all?