BENGALURU: After the Kerala government recently announced free vaccines for the state, state Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar has hinted that Karnataka too could roll out the vaccine free of cost. Although he did not say this explicitly, the Health Minister said on Saturday, after a meeting with Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, that a decision in this regard would be taken in the interest of the people.
"Karnataka has been offering free COVIDtests, free treatment since the beginning of the pandemic. We have so far tested 1.20 crore people free of cost. The Karnataka government is very proactive and committed. Between the Government of India and Government of Karnataka, either one of us will ensure that the vaccine will be taken care of in the interest of the people and that money is not a concern," Sudhakar said, answering a question on the rolling out vaccine for free.
However, a senior doctor on the COVID19 task force said that the minister may be referring to the first set of priority populations. "It is not yet clear whether the vaccination will be totally free of cost or charged. The health minister may be referring to the priority health care workers and frontline workers who will be in the first list of vaccination. They might not be charged at all," said an expert on the task force committee.
Though the government provides several vaccines free to children and pregnant women under its National Immunisation Programme, the sheer scale of the pandemic and complex international financial agreements undergirding vaccine development and deployment, mean that there's uncertainty on the actual costs to the Centre. However, Dr K R Antony, former health and nutrition specialist at UNICEF, India and life member of Indian Public Health Association, Public Health Resource Network said, the though the Centre has not announced free vaccines for all, it has also not said that people will be charged. Considering the cost of the
existing vaccines, it will be a huge financial commitment for the government.
"The entire scheme will require more than Rs 6 lakh crore. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that frontline workers and healthcare workers will not be charged. The second phase onwards needs to be seen,” he told TNSE. The Karnataka government recently slashed the price of an RT-PCR test to Rs 800 from Rs 1,200 at private labs (for private samples). The tests cost Rs 500 if the sample is referred by the government. Meanwhile, the government has also set aside Rs 300 crore for its vaccine trials and free treatment. It has provided free COVIDtesting in all government-run primary health care centres and hospitals.