January 18: The Union Ministry of Health is placing fresh orders for polio vaccines with a private company, even though it has not lifted 430 lakh doses worth Rs 11 crore ordered from the state-owned Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation last year.Haffkine officials say that the dead stock has led to a liquidity crunch in the company which has an annual turnover of Rs 62 crore. Employees feel that the government's failure to lift the stock has also blocked the 20 per cent ex-gratia payment that they were promised.
According to sources in Mantralaya who are trying to mediate between the public sector company and the health ministry bosses in Delhi, the Union Government had placed an order for 880 lakh doses of polio vaccine with Haffkine last year. However, only 450 lakh vaccines were lifted. While senior officials at Haffkine were awaiting a communication from Delhi about the rest of the stock, they recently learnt to their utter shock that the government had placed fresh orders with a Haryana-based
private company.
Sources in the Haffkine workers union suspect foul play. ``We suspect corruption in the entire process of placing orders with a private company,'' union vice-president Ravindra Mane said. Mane said that Haffkine had quoted around Rs 51 per dose when the tenders for the order were floated. Other bidders had quoted over Rs 53 for a dose.
Officials under conditions of anonymity, however, said that though the private company (with whom the order is being placed now) had quoted a higher rate initially, the rates were lowered by Rs 2 per dose after subsequent negotiations. The 100-year-old Haffkine Institute's bio-pharmaceutical division has a capacity of manufacturing 3,500 lakh polio vaccines annually. However, the manufacturing capacity seldom matches the orders it gets.
While the idle stock has blocked the flow of funds into the company, costs are mounting as the vaccines have to be stored under sub-zero temperatures in a cold room at the plant.
Meanwhile, sources in the Mantralaya
said that the Union Government has assured the state government that the remaining stocks will be lifted soon. However, there was no discussion on the fresh orders that have been placed with a private concern. The matter is being pursued by the Chief Minister's office, they added.
The stock of unused polio vaccine in the Haffkine's cold storage assumes significance in wake of allegations that the supply of vials for the current pulse polio immunisation drive was inadequate. A study points out that at 25 of the 47 centres in the city, less than ten vials of vaccines were provided at each place.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
