With Govt Reducing Vaccination Budget, Experts Fear That Common Man May Have To Buy Shots

The Union Budget presented by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 slashed the COVID-19 vaccination budget for the financial year 2022-23 by as much as 85 per cent compared to last year, suggesting a limited expansion of the booster dose programme.

In the budget, Rs 5,000 crore has been set aside for the COVID-19 vaccination programme for the year 2023, as compared to Rs 39,000 crore expected to be spent on vaccines up to March 31 this year.

In last year's budget, Sitharaman had allotted Rs 35,000 crore for coronavirus vaccines in the country as part of the newly launched Aatmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana.

AFP

This was when the vaccination drive had just begun in the country. As of now, 75 per cent of Indian adults are fully vaccinated and 93 per cent have received at least one dose.

What does a reduced budget mean for the common man

India recently started a vaccination programme for children above 15 and booster doses for those above 60 and with comorbidities.

The budget document has attributed the reduction to a ¡°lower requirement for vaccines¡±.

A lower budget for vaccines suggests the booster dose programme if expanded to the entire population would have to be financed from other outlays or would be at a cost to the recipients.

"The budget doesn¡¯t reflect an intent to provide vaccines free to all,¡± said R Ramakumar, professor of developmental economics at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, told The Telegraph.

BCCL

India began vaccinating individuals aged 15-17 from January 3 onwards. According to the Union health ministry data, as many as 4,83,60,117 eligible beneficiaries in this age bracket have so far been inoculated with Covid-19 vaccine jabs. Of the total vaccinated, 4,72,32,018 have received their first dose while the remaining 11,28,099 have been administered with both shots.

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech's indigenous Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin is being administered to teenagers as of now.

Meanwhile, the cumulative vaccination coverage against Covid-19 in India has surpassed the 167-crore mark (167,29,42,707 crore to be specific), the health ministry data revealed. Of this, 57,42,659 shots were administered across the country in the last 24 hours, with 13,01,619 being given to teenagers.

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