BJP-ruled states get more Covid-19 vaccine doses: Rajesh Tope

Mumbai, Apr 09: Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope accused the Centre of supplying a lesser number of vaccines to the state. Maharashtra which has over 50,000 active cases was given only 7.5 lakh vaccine doses, other states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat had received far more doses.

"Maharashtra has been given 7.5 lakh vaccine doses only. While Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, etc have been given far more vaccines than Maharashtra. I talked to Dr Harsh Vardhan immediately after this, even Sharad Pawar talked to him. I raised issue of discrimination with us. We have the most active patients, a positive rate and death with a 12 crore population. Why are we given so few vaccines?" he asked.

"The Centre is helping us but it is not helping us in the way it should. Gujarat is half of the population of Maharashtra, however, it has got 1 crore vaccines till now, and we have got only 1.04 lakhs vaccine doses," he alleged.

"I have just been informed that the Centre has increased Covid-19 vaccine doses from 7 lakh to 17 lakh, but even this is less because we need 40 lakh vaccine doses a week and 17 lakh doses are not enough," he further said.

On Wednesday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan hit out at the Maharashtra government over statements on the "shortage" of Covid-19 vaccines in the state.

Asserting that allegations of vaccine shortage are utterly baseless, Vardhan said Maharashtra''s "testing is not up to the mark and their contact tracing leaves a lot to be desired".

In a strong statement, he said, "It is shocking to see how the state Government is putting Maharashtrians in danger by letting people escape institutional quarantine mandate for the sake of their personal Vasuli.

"Overall, as the state has lurched from one crisis to another, it seems as if the state leadership is happily sleeping at the wheels."