While the free vaccination is available for all people aged 18 and over who choose to utilize it, back-of-the-envelope calculations show that about one-fifth of the cost of vaccination or about Rs 5,000 crore was borne by people from their own pockets or by the employer they.
These estimates have been calculated assuming a 7% share of the private sector in the total vaccinated so far and taking into account changes in the pricing mechanism since January 16, when vaccination Covid launched.
But what is the basis of the assumption that 7% of the vaccine have been delivered by the private sector? While comprehensive data on this are not available in the public domain, according to the response of the health minister a junior in Parliament, a little over 7% of vaccinations given by private sector from May 1 to July 15 Subsequent reports citing government sources, including in this newspaper , shows that the proportion has not changed much.
100 vaccine crore, 15.2 crore has been given until April-end, before the liberalization of the vaccine policy kicked in.
Assuming the private sector do 7% of vaccination in this period as well, which will account for more than one crore doses.
At Rs 250 per dose, private vaccination rate at the time, individuals and employers will pay around Rs 266 crore.
On May 1, the price of the new liberalization of the government and the National Accelerated Covid-19 Vaccination Strategies kick.
From May 1 to June 20, when the liberalization strategy is in place, 12.3 crore given dose.
Since the private sector share in fact only 7%, it will contribute around 86 lakh doses that household and business costs around Rs 690 crore (at Rs 800 per dose is very conservative).
Starting June 21, the government capped what private hospitals can charge a fee for providing the vaccine.
Effectively, hats Rs 780 for each dose Covishield and Rs 1,410 for Covaxin.
Since Covishield accounted for most of the vaccination, we have been very conservative assumption that the average Rs 800 per dose.
Assuming the same part of the private vaccination, from 74.8 crore doses administered between June 21 and October 24 is about 5.2 crore doses will have been done in the private sector cost just under Rs 4,200 crore to get a dose.
Put all these numbers together and household and business spending close to Rs 5,150 crore for the private vaccine on the way to the 100-crore.
How much the government spends to buy the vaccines they given? Center 26 Jun affidavit in the Supreme Court revealed that it had paid Rs 5,803 crore for the first 35 crore doses it had ordered and received through July.
That leaves about 58 crore doses of 93 crore shares in 100 crore doses.
The government has announced that it will pay Rs 225 Bharat Biotech for each dose Covaxin and Serum Institute of Rs 215 for each dose Covishield.
Even if we take the higher figure of Rs 225 as an average, 59 doses would cost Rs 13 275 crore crore.
Thus, the total cost of procurement for the government to share 93 crore to 100 crore will be slightly Rs 19,000 crore.
Not all doses purchased by the Central government.
Between May 1 and June 20, the state government must also purchase a dose of manufacturers at a higher level (Rs 300 for Covishield and Rs 600 for Covaxin).
Let us add another Rs 1,000 crore to cover these extra costs.
That takes the total government expenditure on procurement of vaccines for the first dose of 100 crore to around Rs 20,000 crore and the total expenditure by the government and households to around 25 150 crore.
Of course, this only covers the cost of procurement for the government.
Even if we add Rs 150 (the amount allowed for administrative costs for the private sector) for each dose given by the government, which would amount to Rs 14,000 crore more.
Many ministers have justified higher taxes on petroleum as a means to fund the free vaccination program.
However, vaccination costs are only a fraction of the total money collected as fuel tax.
In 2020-21, the tax year for which data are available for the whole year, the Center collected Rs 4.5 lakh crore as tax on petroleum products while other state governments of Rs 2.2 lakh crore.
In the first quarter of 2021-22 alone, the Center collected Rs 90 750 crore of fuel and the countries of Rs 61 613 crore.
Even taxes collected in one quarter seems to be much higher than the estimated cost of the entire vaccination program Covid.
free vaccination has become the norm in most countries.
In fact, India is among the few countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand and Lebanon which has enabled Covid vaccine sales in the private market.