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Mumbai: Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope today said that the Centre should come up with a national policy to import vaccines from foreign countries.
Tope told reporters after he met with Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan through video conference.
He said, if a national policy is formulated to procure vaccine from foreign countries then it will help states. The minister said states are issuing tenders to procure vaccines from foreign countries.
He informed that these foreign companies are mentioning different rates to different states. Therefore, to avoid this competition, a national policy on procuring vaccines should be formulated by the central government.
Demanding that the maximum retail price of medicine for mucormycosis be reduced, he said that the quota of the injections should also be increased.
He said that he informed Union Health Minister that around 20-22 lakh people in the state require the second dose of vaccine. Tope said, by taking note of the situation the Centre should make proper planning to provide necessary vials of vaccine.
He said to inoculate people above 45 years of age 20 lakh dose of vaccines are required.
Tope also said that there are 1,500 patients with mucormycosis in the state and an uptick in the cases is being witnessed.
He said there is a decline in active cases of COVID-19 in the state and the growth rate is below one per cent. Similarly, he said the recovery rate of the state has notched up to 88 from 80 per cent.
