Congress demands free vaccination at private hospitals

The Congress Party has said Prime Minister Modi's announcement of free vaccination for all comes too late and his government ignored suggestions.

New Delhi: The Congress party slammed the Central government's decision to allow private hospitals to charge for vaccination, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement of centralized Covid-19 vaccine policy. Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter and said, "One simple question- If vaccines are free for all, why should private hospitals charge for them?" He also used the hastag #FreeVaccineForAll. On Monday, PM Modi announced that twenty-five per cent of the inoculation drive in the states will now be handled by the Centre, it will be implemented in the coming weeks. He said, both the State and the Centre will work as per new guidelines.

Congress also took a dig at the Centre for delaying the decision to provide free vaccines for all. Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Anand Sharma tweeted, "Prime Minister’s announcement on ‘free vaccines for all’ is a welcome change of policy. Finally a realisation of a flawed policy that led to the collapse of the national vaccination, after the govt resisted for months appeals for equitable and universal vaccination."

He further added, "This is time for honest reflection. I wish this announcement was made in January. The cost of the delay has been unbearable for India as it resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. There can be no compensation for the human suffering." Chattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel called it a "late" decision by the Central Government, saying that the arrangement of adequate vaccines continuously is the biggest challenge right now.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "The Indian National Congress, Sardar Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, since December till date have been repeatedly demanding that the Government of India should take the responsibility of providing free vaccines to all persons above the age of 18 years. But Prime Minister Modi and his government has overlooked it time and again." He also sought an apology from PM Modi for changing the vaccination policy thrice within the period of six months, saying that he has risked the lives of people.