The Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank, Uday Kotak has called on the central government to simplify its policy of vaccine acquisition, saying that the current arrangement, wherein the Centre buys 50 per cent of vaccines and leaves the remaining stock unregulated for the states and the private sector is not sustainable.
In his interview with NDTV, the top banker said that it is not a good idea to get the states to compete for an “undefined second quota” of vaccines and that the government must take steps to simplify the process. Instead, he recommends the Centre to buy up 75 per cent of the vaccines, distribute them equitably to the states and leave the remaining 25 per cent for the private sector.
His sentiment was echoed by Delhi’s Chief Minister as well who lamented that no state has been able to procure any vaccine from abroad. “What is the central government doing about it? Why is it not stepping in?”, asked Kejriwal in his interaction with the press. In a related development, Pfizer had issued a statement earlier in the week saying that it would only deal with the central government with regards to the purchase of vaccines. Another US-based vaccine maker- Moderna had also said the same when the Punjab government approached it for vaccines.
Mr. Kotak also underscored the need to ensure that the country is better prepared to fight against the virus in the upcoming months. “It is not okay that we don’t have medication or oxygen in critical times”, he said. Health experts have unanimously said that only increasing the pace of vaccination will save the country from a potential third wave of Covid-19 infections.