Maharashtra: State Health Minister’s District Allotted More Vaccine Doses Amid Shortage In Other Districts, Claims Reports

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope's home district Jalna received 60,000 vaccine doses more than its allotment of 17,000 when the State received fresh supplies of 26.77 lakh doses from the Centre on 31 March according to a report in The Indian Express.

According to the sources, Tope called officials in the Health Department and asked them to increase the allocation to his district to 77,000 doses. Tope told the reporters "no particular district was preferred" and that if Jalna got more stocks, this was done "to encourage more vaccination". "We distributed doses to primary health centres and sub centres to increase vaccination," he added, noting that against the state average of 27 per cent of the target population receiving vaccinations, Jalna had accomplished just 18.1 per cent at the time.

At the end of March, Jalna had 773 active cases, lower than 30 districts and 600-1,000 daily vaccinations, ranked among the ten lowest-performing districts. This violated both the criteria on which the Maharashtra public health department distributes doses: a district's daily performance of vaccination and active cases.

On 8 and 9 April, officials across Maharashtra districts made frantic calls for more supplies to the state health department. At last, Tope agreed to transfer 15,000 doses from Jalna to nearby districts of Washim, Yavatmal and Parbhani.

Between 7-9 April, several vaccination centres were closed because of no supply in Satara, Navi Mumbai, Mumbai and Sangli. On 7 April, Jalna had over 50,000 doses. Mumbai had to shut 25 private centres on 8 April and 50 centres on 9 April.

District health officials had requested the state government, including Tope, to send more stocks urgently. "We reasoned with the minister that stocks in Jalna would sit for days as other districts suffered. He eventually agreed to divert stocks from Jalna," an official said.

On 7 April, Tope had raised the alarm regarding vaccine shortage in Maharashtra to the Central Government.

Tope alsodemanded from Serum CEO Poonawalla to give priority to Maharashtra in vaccine allocation on Tuesday (4 May).