Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Apr 20: An RTI reply has revealed a huge waste of vaccine doses since the commencement of vaccination drive in the country in mid-January. This comes shocking as several states have reported a vaccine shortage. Tamil Nadu reported the highest waste - 12.10 per cent, followed by Haryana (9.74%), Punjab (8.12%), Manipur (7.8%) and Telangana (7.55%).
The RTI reply stated that over 44 lakh doses were wasted, out of 10 crore doses used by states till April 11.
The RTI also revealed that Kerala, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Goa, Daman and Diu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep wasted least doses. There was 'zero wastage' of doses in these states, it said.
On the other hand, allegations of vaccine shortage have seeded a political row between the centre and states like Maharashtra, Punjab and Delhi, who allege that their vaccine allocation is less in proportion to the population compared to, say, Gujarat.
The government recently fast-tracked clearance for Covid vaccines that have been approved in other countries in order to boost doses. A top finance ministry sources said that an advance of Rs 4,500 crore had been given to vaccine-makers in the country. Serum Institute of India which produces Covishield was given Rs 3,000 crore while Bharat Biotech, the Covaxin maker was assigned Rs 1,500 crore to scale up the vaccine production, sources revealed. In the past few days, many states have sent out vaccine SOS but the central government has asserted that it is more about mismanagement and waste.
Rajesh Bhushan, Union health secretary had stated last week that, "The problem is of lack of better planning, not of vaccine doses shortage. We have made available vaccine doses to states and UTs from time to time and as we told you earlier that to bigger states we give supply of four days at once and on fourth and fifth day we replenish the supply. For smaller states, at once we supply 7-8 days vaccine doses and on seventh or eighth day their supply is replenished."