After Centre's criticism, Punjab requests private hospitals to return COVID vaccine stock

The development comes after Punjab Health Minister while responding to allegations by the opposition about COVID-19 vaccines being sold to private hospitals by the state government for profit, assured that he will definitely initiate an inquiry.

Chandigarh: The Punjab government instructed the private hospitals to return the remaining available stock amid severe criticism from the Centre and Shiromani Akali Dal for allegedly selling COVID-19 vaccines to private hospitals at higher prices. The development comes after Punjab health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu while responding to allegations by the opposition about COVID-19 vaccines being sold to private hospitals by the state government for profit, assured that he will definitely initiate an inquiry, the minister on Saturday stated that private hospitals have been instructed to return all vaccine doses available to them. Minister Sidhu along with the Nodal office for Vaccination of the state, Vikas Garg held a press conference and said, "Total 42,000 doses of COVID vaccine have been allotted to private hospitals and only 600 doses inoculated. We have instructed private hospitals to return all vaccine doses available to them, and the doses they have used has to be returned once they got supplies from manufacturers. We will refund the amount deposited by the private hospitals."