After controversy over covid vaccine, the Punjab government has finally withdrawn the order to provide the vaccine to people in the age group of 18 to 44 years in private hospitals. Private hospitals will have return the remaining vaccine to the government.
Earlier, Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said that he has ordered a probe into the opposition’s allegations that the state government’s anti-coronavirus vaccines are being given to private hospitals.
Sidhu said, “What I came to know from the media, I have already ordered an inquiry and we will order a duly probe. We will take up the matter with the Chief Minister.”
On the allegations of the opposition, he said that the vaccination program is not related to his department. “The vaccination program is not linked to my health department and is directly handled by the chief secretary and Vikas Garg, who is also the state’s nodal officer for the vaccination campaign,” Sidhu said, adding that his department is involved in testing, treatment and monitoring.
Meanwhile, the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal on Thursday accused the Congress government of the state of selling Covid-19 vaccine doses to private hospitals at exorbitant prices.
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged that vaccine doses were not available in the state and instead of giving free doses of vaccine to the common people, it was being sold to private institutions. He also claimed that the dose of Covaxin vaccine is available to the state at price of Rs 400 and it is being sold to private entities for Rs 1,060. Badal said that private hospitals are charging Rs 1,560 for each dose from the people.
