New Delhi: Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has hit out at certain State governments for their “deplorable attempts’ to create false narratives around the Covid-19 vaccination programme and to ‘distract attention from their failures and spread panic among people”.
“Playing politics is easy, but improving governance and health infrastructure is the real test,” said the Health Minister highlighting the inability of some States to contain the coronavirus transmission and increase the vaccination.
He said some State governments and political leaders are spreading panic among people to distract attention from their failures in dealing with Covid-19 pandemic.
Vardhan said that most concerning of all are the statements being made by a section of political leaders asking to open up vaccination to everyone above the age of 18, or to drastically lower the minimum age criteria for vaccination eligibility.
The Minister said that primary aim of vaccination is to reduce mortality among the most vulnerable people, and enable the society to beat the pandemic.
Vardhan said that a section of political leaders have demanded that vaccination be opened up for everyone above the age of 18, or at least the age of eligibility for vaccination be reduced drastically.
“So long as the supply of vaccines remains limited, there is no option but to prioritise. This is also the established practice around the world, and is well known to state governments,” he said, pointing out that India had launched the world’s largest vaccination programme and was providing the vaccine free of charge to all above 45, at government centres.
Harsh Vardhan highlighted that Maharashtra has vaccinated just only 86% of health workers with first dose. The equivalent numbers for Delhi and Punjab are 72% and 64%. On the other hand, 10 Indian states/UTs have done more than 90%. Further, Maharashtra has vaccinated just 41% of healthcare workers with second dose. Equivalent numbers for Delhi and Punjab are 41% and 27%.
Hitting out at the Maharashtra government in particular, Vardhan said that the claims by the state politicians that there is a vaccine shortage is nothing but an attempt to divert attention from the state’s “repeated failures” to control the spread of the pandemic.