States reporting more wastage of vaccines may have to bear with lesser allocation out of the Centre’s share starting May 1.
According to a report by the Times of India, the measure is intended to encourage better use of vaccinations as the demand will need to be more carefully managed once 50 per cent of vaccine production in India becomes available for inoculation.
At present, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Bihar and Rajasthan are among the big states with an over 6 per cent wastage, whereas Assam has the highest of 9.6 per cent with Manipur recording 8.4 per cent. Others like Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi also have over 5 per cent wastage of vaccines, official data show. Among the better performing states are Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Mizoram and Goa with zero wastage.
The Union government on Wednesday informed the Bombay High Court that door-to-door covid-19 vaccination was not possible due to various reasons including fear of contamination and wastage. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare submitted its reply to a public interest litigation filed by lawyers Dhruti Kapadia and Kunal Tiwari.
The PIL sought at-home vaccination facility for those above 75, the disabled and those who are bed-ridden or wheelchair-bound. Satyendra Singh, Under Secretary in the Union Ministry of Health, listed in the affidavit several reasons for not providing this facility.
There was also the possibility of high wastage as inoculation drive will take longer, the reply said. At the request of state governments, more vaccination centres have been approved with special consideration for senior citizens, the Centre’s affidavit said.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Telegram.
Comments
0 comment