Andhra Chief Minister Says Suspend Covid Vaccine Supply To Private Hospitals

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that the private hospitals are charging exorbitant prices - from Rs 2,000 to Rs 25,000 per vial.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to suspend supply of COVID-19 vaccines to private hospitals as they are allegedly charging exorbitant prices per vial. In a letter to the Centre, the Chief Minister alleged that the private hospitals are charging exorbitant prices - from Rs 2,000 to Rs 25,000 per vial. He also said that the control over vaccines should be with the central and state governments. "Due to the price differential offered to them and also the flexibility available to the private hospitals to fix the price of their vaccines, these hospitals are charging as high as Rs 2,000-25,000 for each dose from the public," the Chief Minister mentioned in the letter. This makes these doses one of the costliest in the world, inviting criticism from the general public, Mr Reddy said while underscoring that vaccines are for the public good and ideally they need to be given free of cost or at least at affordable rates.