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Notice issued to Anbumani, Centre on closure of vaccine units in Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh

J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Centre, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and others on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition challenging the closure of vaccine production facilities in three public sector undertakings (PSUs), two in Tamil Nadu and one in Himachal Pradesh.

A Bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice P. Sathasivam issued the notice on the PIL filed by S.P. Shukla, former special secretary of the government of India and former Member, Planning Commission, and four non- governmental organisations challenging the closure of vaccine production facilities at the over 100-year-old Pasteur Institute of India, Coonoor; BCG Vaccine Laboratory, Chennai, and Central Research Institute, Kasauli, in Himachal Pradesh.

The Bench, after hearing senior counsel Colin Gonsalves, also issued notice to Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Directors of the three PSUs.

According to the petitioners, the three PSUs were manufacturing several vaccines, including universal vaccines for Diphtheria Pertussis Tetanus, Tetanus Toxid, Diphtheria and Tetanus, measles, polio and Bacillus Calmette Guerin, which were distributed to government hospitals. They alleged that the Health Ministry took the decision to close down the production for the benefit of private companies selling their vaccines at prices higher than the ones produced in PSUs.

The petition said suspension of production in three most important vaccine units in the PSUs undermined a century-old effort of building vaccine self-sufficiency and self-reliance. Ironically, their closure happened at a time when the production in the three PSUs was peaking and the vaccine demand-supply gaps were narrowing and when there had been no complaint at all on the quality of the vaccines produced. A great disservice had been done to the nation by halting production in these pioneering research and production units, it was contended.

The petitioners sought a direction to set up a committee of experts to go into the facts and submit a report to the court.

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