May 5, 2021
Let there be transparency in vaccine policy, writes Bengal chief minister in a letter to the prime minister
Immediately after her party won the assembly elections, Trinamool Congress Chairperson Mamata Banerjee had said that COVID-19 would be her prime concern. After taking oath as the chief minister for the third time today, the first thing she said was about taking steps to combat the viral infection that brought about the pandemic.
As proof of her intent, she has dashed off a letter to the prime minister, urging him to bring about transparency on the issue of vaccination.
She also said that the Union government should ensure free vaccination against COVID-19 for everybody. Another important issue she raised was the supply of vaccines.
She reminded the prime minister of her letter to him on February 28, in which she had raised the issue of the Bengal government willing to buy vaccines so that people could be vaccinated for free by the state government. However, she said, she did not receive any reply. And now, in the midst of a crisis in hospital beds, oxygen, medicines and vaccines, she was compelled to write again.
A few other demands spelt out in the letter:
1. Increase the supply of vaccines. On the one hand, the government has permitted vaccination for everyone aged 18 and above, and on the other, there is huge shortage of vaccine doses.
2. There is a major shortage of medicines used to treat COVID-19, which needs to be looked into urgently. Bengal needs 1,000 doses of remdesivir every day.
3. The rise in infection has led to an alarming shortfall in the supply of medical oxygen. The daily need of oxygen in Bengal has risen from 220 metric tonnes (MT) to 400 MT within a short time, and would soon touch 500 MT. The state should be allocated a daily supply of 500 MT immediately.
The chief minister ended by saying that she strongly believes that the pandemic can be dealt with successfully through proper cooperation between the Union and state governments.
