All people should get free Covid-19 vaccines under new policy: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a centralized Covid vaccine drive where all vaccines will be procured by the Centre and will be given to states for free and from June 21 free vaccine will be administered to people above 18 years.

New Delhi: In a significant policy change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the Central government will provide Covid-19 vaccines free of cost to all citizens above the age of 18. “We have decided to adopt our previous strategy of providing vaccines to the state. And accordingly, all states will be provided vaccines free of costs by the Central government,” said Modi in his address to the nation on Monday evening.

Ever since the vaccination was started in India on January 16, all people who come under the prioritized sections have been provided vaccination free of cost. However, when the government’s liberalized vaccine strategy started on May 1, the Central government has been supplying 50 per cent vaccines free of cost to the state government. The remaining 50 per cent vaccines could have been purchased directly by the state government and private hospitals on a 25:25 per cent basis from the vaccine manufacturer.

Read:|PM Modi announces centralised Covid vaccination drive

But now with this new policy announced by the Prime Minister, people can get vaccines free of costs. “Many of the state governments who were demanding the right to purchase vaccines directly from the manufacturer have appealed to the Centre to reconsider the liberalized policy…and accordingly we have decided to procure all the vaccines centrally and thereafter we will distribute vaccines to all state governments as per their demand,” said Modi.

He said that the state governments have been facing difficulties in purchasing vaccines on their own. The Prime Minister said that all people can get vaccines free of cost from government vaccination centres. “It will take at least two weeks to make the new policy guidelines,” Modi said. He, however, said that the private hospital can procure 25 per cent of vaccines directly from the vaccine manufacturer. “People who want to get the vaccine from the private hospital can do so for Rs 150 per dose,” said Modi.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also welcomed the decision of the Centre of providing vaccines free of cost to all. “IMA profusely thanked the Prime Minister for his innovative and important announcement of universal vaccination for all to be carried out by the Government of India itself in this pandemic. IMA is constantly and proactively supporting the vaccination drive initiated by the Prime Minister,” said IMA president Dr JA Jayalal.

Read:|Bharat Biotech conducts Covaxin trial on age group between 2 and 18

He said that in this unique moment IMA will strive hard with the government, “with all our manpower to support and carry forward the vaccination to the doorsteps of every needy individual. With this altruistic initiative and by adhering to Covid-19 appropriate behaviours without letting our guard down, IMA is confident we will face the third wave positively, and keep our country come out of the pandemic crisis shortly.”

Meanwhile, CPI MP Binoy Viswam has criticized the Modi government for a slow vaccination process. Viswam also appealed to the government to entrust the task of manufacturing vaccines to the public sector organization. Speaking exclusively with ETV Bharat, he said that with only two private vaccine manufacturers, the Central government has earlier sanctioned Rs 35,000 crore for vaccines in the last budget, while questioning that what has happened to the money exclusively announced for India’s vaccination process.

Read:|India overtakes US as 17.2 cr people receive 1st dose of COVID-19 vaccine: Govt