Vaccine must be distributed free of cost and in prompt manner; assembly passes resolution against centre’s stand, verbal spat between treasury and opposition benches  

​​​​​​THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state assembly has passed a resolution demanding that the centre must distribute the vaccines free of cost and in a timely manner. The assembly has passed the resolution unanimously. The state has demanded that the centre should not make vaccines into a priced commodity.

The resolution also demanded that in public sector pharmaceutical companies, vaccines should be manufactured using a compulsory vaccine license regime. The resolution also asks to give relaxation to those vaccine firms which have received the nod for emergency production of vaccines from the European Medicines Agency, UK MHRA and Japan's PMDA

Meanwhile, the speaker has denied nod for the opposition’s demand to discuss the covid situation in detail after halting the assembly proceedings. The health minister alleged that the opposition is not giving due weightage to the preventive activities undertaken in the state against the pandemic. The opposition leader asked the health minister to withdraw this statement.

The assembly has witnessed high octane verbal spat between the ruling and opposition benches over the government’s covid prevention activities. It was Dr M K Munner who led the opposition, he said that he had taken the first dose of the vaccine and he is clueless about where he should have taken the second dose of vaccine.

Munner, who also alleged that the current vaccine distribution undertaken by the centre is not in accordance with the country’s population, also supported the anti-centre resolution presented by the health minister. He further said that when the nation is burning, the Prime Minister is fiddling.

Health minister Veena George replied that the vaccine distribution is being undertaken in the state in a scientific manner. “The state has tried its best to boost its medical capacity much before the onslaught of the second wave and the opposition has overlooked the preventive activities of the state government,” she said which led to further pandemonium in the house.

The opposition expressed condemnation over the health minister’s statement. Opposition leader V D Satheesan said that M K Munner has never overlooked the sacrifice of health workers in the state and the opposition has never tried to create a row over the covid issue.

Muslim League MLA P K Kunhalikutty said that despite giving support to the government, due credit is not given to the health minister. He also added that the opposition will support the resolution not for the sake of the health minister but for the people in the state.