94 crore people will need 188 crore medicine to be vaccinated .... Minister Bharati Pawar

Times of AthibAn Thursday, July 22, 2021 0

Central Minister of State for Health Bharathi Pravin Pawar has said in the Rajya Sabha that 188 crore doses of the vaccine will be required to vaccinate 94 crore people in the country aged 18 and above.

'Do vaccine manufacturers have the capacity to produce the required vaccines in India?' In that Rajya Sabha, the question was raised. The question was answered in writing by Central Health Minister Bharathi Pravin Pawar.

The question arose as to how many people, including doctors, nurses and health workers, who had died of corona infection, had been compensated. Responding to a question, Central Health Minister Bharathi Pravin Pawar said 921 people, including doctors and health workers, who died of coronavirus, had been given compensation of Rs 50 lakh each till July 15.

According to Bharti Pravin Pawar, the population of people aged 18 and above is 94 crore. Therefore, 188 crore doses of vaccine are required to vaccinate all of them.

He said the number would drop if future single-dose vaccine approvals were approved in India. It is estimated that 187 crore doses of vaccine will be available in our country from January to December 2022.

Vaccines currently being developed may also be approved. So more vaccines will come to eligible people. The minister also said that private hospitals can purchase the Covshield vaccine at Rs 600, the Kovac vaccine at Rs 1,200 and the Sputnik-V vaccine at Rs 948.

The government has fixed a service charge of Rs.150 for vaccination at private corona vaccination centers. At the same time, Minister Bharathi Pravin Pawar said that the government will continue to vaccinate free of cost at vaccination centers. In addition, vaccine manufacturers may determine the purchase price of the vaccine for private hospitals. But there must be transparency, he said.

The question arose as to how many people, including doctors, nurses and health workers, who had died of corona infection, had been compensated. In a written reply to this, Central Health Minister Bharathi Pravin Pawar said that the insurance scheme for health workers fighting against corona infection has been implemented under the Prime Minister's Kareeb Kalyan scheme.

Under the scheme, insurance of Rs 50 lakh is provided to every health worker working in private and government hospitals who suffer from direct contact with corona victims. The insurance plan has been extended for an additional 3 months from April 24, 2021.

The government does not have a rank-and-file account of how many people have died from corona infection as doctors, nurses and health workers. However, till July 15, 2021, 921 people, including doctors and health workers, who died due to the corona epidemic, have been given compensation of Rs 50 lakh each.