Madhya Pradesh has joined other states in questioning the Centre’s COVID-19 vaccine wastage figures. The states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, where the BJP is not in power, have already rejected the centre’s data showing high vaccine wastage.
Madhya Pradesh, which has a 10.7% vaccine wastage rate, has indicated that there may be data issues or a communication gap with the Health Ministry, according to the centre.
Vishwas Sarang, the Minister of Medical Education in Madhya Pradesh, told reporters that he has asked state officials to contact their central counterparts and review the data for discrepancies.
“According to our calculation, the vaccine wastage is 1.3 per cent. The centre’s figure for Madhya Pradesh is quite high. It is possible the actual figures from our end couldn’t be communicated properly to the centre. I have asked our officials to get in touch with officials at the Health Ministry and get the figures corrected,” Mr Sarang told reporters.
Madhya Pradesh is the first BJP-ruled state to express dissatisfaction with the Centre’s vaccine waste data.
According to data released by the Health Ministry yesterday, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh reported 37.3 percent and 30.2 percent vaccine wastage, respectively. These are high figures in the face of a nationwide vaccine shortage.
Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo and his Jharkhand counterpart Banna Gupta have criticised the Health Ministry for what they claimed was showing wrong data. Both have denied their states are the biggest vaccine wasters in the country, as the centre’s data indicate.
The centre’s “intention is not right”, Mr Deo said. “They are calling it vaccine wastage without getting proper data. If centre does not believe us, it can send its own team for a probe. Their intention is not right and these statements are politically motivated,” Mr Deo said.
