MoHFW Secy rubbishes Odisha’s allegation of discrimination in Covid vaccine supply to State

Bhubaneswar: A day after the Additional Chief Secretary of Odisha Health and Family Welfare Department, PK Mohapatra alleged discrimination between States in supply of Covid vaccines, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare today refuted the charges and assured the State to provide adequate quantities of vaccines.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Secretary, Rajesh Bhushan said, in a letter to Mohapatra, that the arguments of discretion and erratic supply of vaccine made in his letter yesterday is not tenable.

Bhushan further mentioned a total of 34,46,760 doses of Covid-19 vaccines were supplied to Odisha as on March 27, 2021. Of them, about 22,97,431 doses were administered to a total of 21,67,956 eligible beneficiaries resulting a balance of 11,49,329 doses available with the State.

In Odisha, a total of 2,07,229 beneficiaries have been vaccinated in last three days resulting in daily average vaccination rate of 69,076 beneficiaries, Bhushan clarified.

He also stated the MoHFW has been constantly reviewing daily and allocating vaccine based on the progrees of vaccination in all States and UTs including Odisha.

The MoHFW has already allocated an additional supply of 5,48,250 doses, which will reach Odisha on March 28, 2021, he informed.

“I would like to reassure you again that vaccine stocks will not be a limiting factor for acceleration of pace of vaccination in Odisha and adequate quantities of vaccines will be provided to the State based on continuous review of available stocks and pace of vaccination,” the letter read.

Meanwhile, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has assured him that there is no dearth in availability of doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the States.

Yesterday, the Odisha Additional Chief Secretary shot-off a letter to the Health and Family Welfare Ministry Secretary stating that due to insufficient and erratic vaccine supply to the State, the State government was unable to plan vaccination session for 15 days in advance.

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