West Bengal’s government, led by Mamata Banerjee, told the Supreme Court today that there should be a uniform vaccine scheme, and that the current differential pricing system in the latest process of immunizations should be abolished.
Bengal demands that the Centre take urgent action to ensure that vaccines are made available and distributed to states at no expense.
“States cannot be forced to compromise and compete for vaccine premiums on their own. States would be forced to devote funds for vaccination, putting a strain on an increasingly overburdened health-care system “In its affidavit, the state stated that a Supreme Court hearing on the vaccine programme will be held next Monday.
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court expressed concerns over vaccine prices and urged the Centre to reconsider its strategy, citing the potential for chaos.
Forcing state governments to deal with manufacturers on the basis of encouraging competition and making it appealing for new vaccine makers would result in “significant harm” to those being vaccinated by state governments, the Supreme Court said on Monday.
“At first glance, the logical way of proceeding in a manner compatible with the right to life (which includes the right to health) under Article 21 will be for the central government to purchase all vaccines and negotiate the price with vaccine manufacturers,” the court had said.
Many states have protested about unequal prices under the Center’s latest scheme, which went into effect on May 1, when vaccines were made available to all adults.
“One country, one party, one leader shouts BJP all the time, but to save lives, they can’t have one price for the vaccine. Every Indian wants free vaccine, regardless of age, caste, religion, or region. GoI must set ONE price for Covid vaccine, regardless of who pays – Centre or States,” Mamata Banerjee tweeted last month.
