COVID-19 Vaccine Update: Private Prices Capped at ₹250 a Shot

Indian private clinics vaccinating people against COVID-19 will be allowed to charge up to ₹250 per dose, as per the union government. This decision can allow any patient aged above 60 years and those above 45 with illnesses to approach government and private hospitals for shots.

Two vaccines that are currently approved for use – Covishield and Covaxin – will be provided by the government to public and private sector hospitals, a health ministry official said on condition of anonymity. The vaccines will be administered for free at the government centres.

“Private hospitals functioning as COVID Vaccination Centres (CVC) can charge subject to a ceiling of ₹250 per person per dose along with the electronic and financial management mechanism in this regard,” a statement by the Union health ministry said.

Login credentials should be given to private centres on the updated Co-WIN platform. The immunization drive across the country was stopped for Saturday and Sunday to move to the new platform that will allow self-registration of recipients.

Indian government released a template for the certificate that people with comorbidities will have to get from a registered medical practitioner to be eligible for the vaccination, which should be signed by the doctor.

People between 45 and 59 years who have any of the 20 comorbidities like congenital heart disease that leads to pulmonary arterial hypertension, end-stage kidney disease, or cancers such as lymphoma, leukaemia and myloma, decompensated liver cirrhosis, primary immune deficiency conditions, and sickle cell anaemia will get the shot.

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Around 15 million doses have been administered across the country. But the coverage has been lower than expected, with only 48 people turning up on average for every 100 people expected for each session, according to government data.

“The current 313 vaccination [in Delhi] sites will continue to function as is. The clarity on which other hospitals will be added to the list and whether or not they will charge people will be taken after a meeting with private hospitals tomorrow [Sunday],” a senior official from Delhi’s health department said on condition of anonymity.

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All 10,000 hospitals empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat scheme will be involved in the second phase of the vaccination drive. Around 600 hospitals empanelled under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) and other private hospitals empanelled in any state government insurance schemes will also be involved in the next phase of the vaccination drive.

Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Saturday interacted with health secretaries and MDs (National Health Mission) of all states and Union territories on the vaccination of age-appropriate groups.

“This nationwide vaccination programme is now to be exponentially expanded to the following age-groups from 1st March, 2021: i) all citizens above 60 years of age, and ii) those within the age bracket of 45 to 59 years with specified co-morbidities,” a government statement said on Saturday.

At the meeting, the states were asked to map all private facilities with the nearest cold chain points to ensure a seamless flow of vaccines to them.

Dates for COVID-19 vaccination will soon be decided where target groups of potential beneficiates will be vaccinated.



Source-Medindia