THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As controversy rages over the possibility of Indian citizens paying the highest price in the world for a single dose of Covishield vaccine, health experts have pointed out that the Covid vaccine could cost anywhere between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 per dose in private hospitals in Kerala if the market prices announced for Covishield and Covaxin are any indication.
Aardram Mission chief consultant P K Jameela, also a former director of the state health services, said the Serum Institute of India’s decision to make Covishield available in the open market at a rate of Rs 600 will cost people dear as private hospitals would slap charges for transportation, procurement, storage, service and other miscellaneous expenses on the vaccine price. People will have to pay Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 for Covishield and there would be a proportionate increase in the price of Covaxin as well, she said.
Indian Medical Association (IMA) state secretary P Gopikumar said the central government decision to provide vaccines through private hospitals will backfire. While it may not be a problem in states like Kerala or in cities where people can afford the price, for over 50 per cent of the people in the country who are below or just above the poverty line, a price of Rs 1,000 or Rs 1,200 for one dose or even Rs 600 is unaffordable.
“As a result, a good number of people would skip the vaccination programme. This would create more chaos as the country wouldn’t get the desired result when a large number of the under-privileged skip vaccination. This will lead to the emergence of new strains of the virus, caused by mutations, which would help the virus dodge more frequently the immune system of even those vaccinated,” he said. Bharat Biotech had announced on Saturday that its vaccine — Covaxin — would be provided to state governments at Rs 600 a dose and to private hospitals at Rs 1,200 a dose.