Rs 98 vaccines from Karunya. End to Rs 2000 fraud from medical shop owners

It often happens that some prudent and logical moves from the government turn fodder for many to reap money through fraud. Such was the case with Kerala’s health minister-initiated program for health cards. During the month of January, Kerala witnessed many cases of food poisoning and thus making some hotels and famed restaurants come under scrutiny. Many stale foods were recovered by health teams and the minister reached a final call to bring in some reforms. Health card was made mandatory for hotel workers to ensure that people get food at their hygiene best. For this, a typhoid test was needed but most government hospitals and pharmacies had depleted stocks of such vaccines. It opened a pandora's box of cons from private medical shop owners in Kerala.

Polysaccharide vaccines are needed for Typhoid tests. The cost of this vaccine is just Rs 200. However, the medical shop owners weaved other plans. The hotel workers who reached the shops were told about the depleting stocks and were given another vaccine which cost around Rs 2000. Kerala’s hotels mostly house migrant workers. These people are not that updated and ergo fell for this fraud. With the mere pay they had, it was not normal for them to go have these Rs 2000 vaccines. More people started experiencing this fate and hotel owners were in a fix over the staff not receiving the health card on the due date. The issue started brewing up and Keralakumudi jumped to the forefront to unknot the quagmire. K S Aravind, a reporter in health beat did a report which gained massive traction among people. The issue got the spotlight and even the minister gave her eye to the case.

The government has now made available the rare polysaccharide vaccines through Karunya pharmacy at just Rs 98. A massive order of 25000 doses was made with Bharat Biotech at Rs 90 each. The move was pertinent to stop the swindling and defrauding techniques that played its game with migrant workers. It was found that the medical shops had polysaccharide vaccines in suffice but owners stored them to deceive the laborers with high-cost vaccines.

Also, the groundless move from the government on putting a time limit for hotel workers to get a health card muddled the water. The deadline proved helpful for private medical shops to deceive the vulnerable many workers. Whatever now, the workers can now heave a sigh of relief. The vaccines which they intended to buy at Rs 2000 will reach them at just Rs 98. Good work from the government.