|
|
|
Stress on saving lives, not on making profits: Oxfam to Centre over vaccine
|
|
|
|
Top Stories |
|
|
|
|
SME Times News Bureau
As the second wave of Covid-19 debilitates the country's health
infrastructure and causes an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, the need
of the hour is a potentially life-saving vaccination dose. However, it
may not even reach all the citizens, says Oxfam India, urging the
government to move beyond profit-making strategies and save lives.
"The
keyword here is 'share'. We live in a country of over 1,361 million
people and yet two active vaccines are expected to serve every citizen
even though they are being patented and controlled only by the pharma
companies that created them. This discrepancy between need and supply is
caused by limited dosage production which in turn also ramps up costs,"
said CEO Amitabh Behar, Oxfam India, in a statement on Thursday.
"What
is problematic is the cost flexibility given to state governments and
private buyers which will leave the door open for middlemen and increase
the cost of a vaccine which is needed by millions during this crisis,"
he added.
India on Thursday recorded 4,12,262 fresh cases and
3,980 deaths in the last 24 hours, Union Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare said. The health ministry said that a total of 16,25,13,339
people have been vaccinated so far in the country, including 19,55,733,
who were administered vaccines in the last 24 hours. However, close to
600 million more Indians needed to be vaccinated, Behar said.
"An
acute shortage of vaccine doses can only spell doom and it is critical
that these vaccines be free and available for everyone. The government
needs to adopt a 'People's Vaccine Plan' that serves all citizens and
takes profiteering out of the equation. India needs a vaccine that is
for people and not for profit and a vaccination module that is not only
for those who have spending power," Behar said.
Behar also raised
concerns that no cap has been placed on the vaccine price and
individual companies are now free to declare their own costs. People are
expected to pay over Rs 2,400 for two doses in the public system and Rs
3,600 in a private hospital. Comparative data suggests that most of
India will be paying more than the richest countries of the world
despite producing these vaccines domestically.
"These prices seem
to have stemmed out of a producer declared monopoly price and not one
that is "discovered" through competitive price. The rate fixed for
India, equivalent to $5.25 also seems to be targeting the
upper-middle-income groups in a country that is classified as a
lower-middle-income country. Why is there such a lack of transparency in
the fixation of these rates?" Behar said.
With India stepping
into Phase 3 of its vaccination drive, the states have been burdened
with the responsibility of making vaccines affordable. This decision to
create two vaccine supply streams -- for the centre and the states --
marks a deviation from this historic precedent and is an abdication of
responsibility by the centre, he lamented.
Without a universal
free vaccination scheme to fall back on, a substantial share of the
country's population will potentially be priced out of the vaccine,
Behar said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Customs Exchange Rates |
Currency |
Import |
Export |
US Dollar
|
66.20
|
64.50 |
UK Pound
|
87.50
|
84.65 |
Euro
|
78.25
|
75.65 |
Japanese
Yen |
58.85 |
56.85 |
As on 13 Aug, 2022 |
|
|
Daily Poll |
|
|
PM Modi's recent US visit to redefine India-US bilateral relations |
|
|
|
|
|
Commented Stories |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|