States should collectively negotiate uniform vaccine worth with producers: Chidambaram
1 min read Terming the Centre’s determination to permit a number of costs for vaccines “discriminatory”, senior Congress chief P Chidambaram on Friday instructed states to collectively kind a worth negotiation committee to work out a uniform fee with the producers.
Chidambaram additionally accused the central authorities of getting abdicated its accountability and surrendering to company profiteering.
“The central government’s decision to allow multiple prices for vaccines is discriminatory and regressive. States must unanimously reject the decision. The best way forward is for the state governments to jointly form a Price Negotiation Committee and offer to negotiate a uniform price with the two vaccine manufacturers,” the Congress chief mentioned in a sequence of tweets.
He mentioned the joint buying energy of the state governments would pressure the producers to comply with a uniform worth.
“States must take the initiative. The central government has abdicated its responsibility and surrendered to corporate profiteering,” Chidambaram added.
The Centre introduced on Monday that everybody above 18 years of age will probably be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination from May 1, whereas non-public hospitals and states will be capable of purchase the photographs from producers.
It additionally mentioned vaccine producers could be free to produce 50 per cent of the doses to the state governments and within the open marketplace for which they must make an advance declaration of the value earlier than May 1.
Serum Institute of India introduced a worth of Rs 400 per dose for its COVID-19 vaccine ‘Covishield’ for state governments and Rs 600 per dose for personal hospitals.
