Need to augment health infrastructure: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

Harsh Vardhan's statement came hours after Mamata Banerjee wrote to PM Narendra Modi requesting him to increase the allocation of medical oxygen for West Bengal.

New Delhi: Hours after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to increase the allocation of medical oxygen for West Bengal, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that there is a need to augment health infrastructure in the state. 

Harsh Vardhan in a four-page letter addressed to Mamata Banerjee on Friday (May 7, 2021) also flagged more than 40 per cent positivity rate in some districts of West Bengal and asserted that testing needed to be significantly ramped up.

Referring to her letter to PM Modi on further requirements for COVID-19 management in West Bengal, Vardhan said that the Centre has been supporting each and every state 'not just financially, but also through requisite diagnostics, therapeutics, medical devices and other essential materials and services'.

"Similarly, we will need to augment the health infrastructure in the state significantly," he wrote.

Aamaar Sonar Bangla!

Diagnostics,therapeutics, medicines, oxygen,or augmenting health infra..

Rest assured @MamataOfficial Didi, whatever #WestBengal needs, Sh @narendramodi Ji's Govt stands resolute to provide, in order to help it effectively fight #COVID19 pandemic@PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/jmJL9tfpkU

— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) May 7, 2021

Harsh Vardhan assured Mamata that the Modi government is firm in its resolve to help the state fight the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He told Mamata Banerjee that the objective of the COVID vaccination program launched by the central government is to ensure that all citizens of the country are covered eventually, dividing them into priority age groups based on their vulnerability and mortality risk.

"In accordance with the demand raised by the states, the New Liberalized Pricing and Accelerated National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy, which has just kicked off, decentralises the process and incentivises the manufacturers to produce more. Equally, it encourages off-shore vaccine manufacturers to bring their vaccines into our country, thereby increasing the overall availability of the vaccines in India," the letter stated.

He said the Centre will continue to provide COVID-19 vaccine free to all the states/UTs, including West Bengal, for coverage of healthcare workers, frontline workers and persons above 45 years of age calculated on the basis of the average consumption of the state.

"As on date, West Bengal has been provided a total of 1,18,83,340 vaccine doses. Further 2,00,000 vaccine doses are in the pipeline for immediate supply," he said.

Vardhan highlighted that the Union health ministry has so far provided West Bengal with 18.38 lakh N95 masks, 4.84 lakh PPE kits, 1,245 ventilators and 43.5 lakh Hydroxychloroquine tablets for the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As many as five Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants have been sanctioned for the state, out of which, two have already been installed and made functional. Similarly, 849 D-Type and 1504 B-Type oxygen cylinders have been allocated to West Bengal. Out of this, 700 will be delivered on or before May 21. This entire support has been provided free of cost," he said.

Vardhan stated that as many as 94,400 vials of Remdesivir have, accordingly, been allocated to West Bengal for the period April 21 to May 9. 

"The Centre has, in addition, delivered another 3,686 and 4,402 vials of Remdesivir in two tranches between May 4 and May 5," he said.

Harsh Vardhan stated that apart from the delivery of essential medical devices and drugs, West Bengal has been supported with a financial grant of Rs 295.28 crore under the COVID-19 package.

He said that the state has also been allocated 308 MT of oxygen to meet the demand for oxygen from April 25 onwards.

"In this regard, we had allocated the maximum possible amount to West Bengal at the time of the issue of the aforesaid order. Once the allocations are made, states are required to lift the allocated quantities from the assigned manufacturers," he said.

"Orders for oxygen cylinders have been placed for an additional 1,27,000 cylinders on April 21. The said procurement includes 54,000 jumbo cylinders (D type) as well as 73,000 regular cylinders (B type). Under this initiative, a tentative allocation for West Bengal is 849 D-Type and 1504 B-Type cylinders. Out of this, 700 cylinders will be delivered to the state on or before May 21," Harsh Vardhan added.

The letter, notably, came on a day when the West Bengal government moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to disband the Phase-III vaccine policy of the Centre and adoption of a uniform policy of procuring 100 per cent doses of COVID-19 from vaccine manufacturers for equitable distribution to all the states and Union territories for free decentralised distribution.

The state government also sought to set aside the differential pricing mechanism for COVID-19 vaccines and capping the price for the vaccines at a uniform price of Rs 150 per dose.

The plea in the apex court followed letters written by Banerjee to Modi on various requirements listed by her for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.


(With inputs from agencies)