THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has hit out against the central government's vaccine policy. Despite warnings over a shortage of oxygen, the Centre did nothing and people are left suffering, he said. Every administration has the responsibility to protect its citizens during a crisis but the Centre has left the citizens at the mercy of vaccine manufacturers, he said.
Fixing three prices for the same vaccine is an 'insane' step, Chennithala said. This will create inequality among the society. The vaccine supplied to the Centre at Rs 150 a dose is given to states at Rs 400. Why would there be two prices for the Union government and the state government, he asked. Both governments work with the taxpayers' money and this is against the basic principles of the Constitution, he said.
The price for private hospitals is fixed at Rs 600 a dose. Hence most of the vaccines will be sold to private players, he said. There is no quota for the supply to state governments. This will create confusion and will lead to an unhealthy tug of war between the states, he added.
Chennithala called for a just and non-discriminatory system to distribute the vaccine obtained by the Centre at low prices. He flayed the government for doing nothing to prevent a shortage of oxygen during the pandemic's second wave. Citizens have the right to avail treatment. It should not be denied for any reason, he said.