Centre to buy 351m more syringes for vaccination

PREPARING FOR THE VACCINE

Centre to buy 351m more syringes for vaccination

Chethan.Kumar@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru: 15.12.2020

As part of its pan-India Covid-vaccination plan, the Centre will procure 351 million more syringes, according to tender documents reviewed by TOI. The government has already placed orders for 230 million syringes. The additional procurement will take the total number for Covid vaccination to around 600 million, in sync with the plan to vaccinate 300 million people (two doses each) in the first few phases.

The tender issued by the Central Medical Services Society (CMSS), under the ministry of health and family welfare, is for “0.5ml auto disable

syringe for fixed dose immunisation with fixed needle” and the estimated bid cost is ₹65.7 crore.

As per the December 11 tender, the government has set short delivery targets for procurement which will happen in four batches of 87.8 million pieces each. The first batch is expected to be delivered 60 days after the order is placed and the last within 150 days.

According to more than one industry representative, this is the first fresh tender being issued for syringes.

“The earlier orders were placed as an extension of existing contracts between firms and the ministry and devices were supplied at old rates,” one of them said.

Sandeep Bhandari, vicepresident, Iscon Surgicals, which has already shipped out 20 million syringes of 52.2 million it has orders for, said: “Order for another 100 million we’ll soon get is part of the old contract. We’ll bid for the new tender as there is enough capacity to fulfil existing orders.”