THD NewsDesk, New Delhi: Amidst the ongoing second phase of Covid vaccination drive, where senior citizens and people above 45 with co-morbidities are being inoculated, the health ministry decides to even allow state and UT governments to identify more and more private hospitals which can be made a vaccination site.
Initially, only hospitals empanelled under Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Central Government Health Scheme and State Health Insurance Schemes were allowed to vaccinate people at a cost of Rs. 250 per dose.
The ministry released a state-wise list of all these private hospitals, however, identifying if the listed hospitals have an adequate number of vaccinators, adequate space for observation of the vaccinated, adequate cold chain management and adequate arrangement for the management of any adverse effect.
As vaccination gathered pace on March 2, the second day of 2nd phase vaccination, the Centre said, the states/UTs can proactively make efforts to use these private hospitals as vaccination centres.
To help people wishing to make the prior appointments, private hospitals have also been asked to open vaccination slots for 15 days to a month. However, in the first two days, private hospitals were allowing advanced booking for only a day or two.
The health ministry at a high-level review meeting on Tuesday with additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries and secretaries of states and UTs said “The Central Government has adequate stock and will provide the required vaccine doses to the States and UTs when required. States/UT States/UTs should not store, reserve, conserve or create a buffer stock of the Covid vaccines at the state and district levels”.
Upon asked by the Centre to the states to not store vaccines or to create a buffer stock, apprehending any future shortage, the state also asked the government to supply vaccines to hospitals for the entire duration for which sessions have been planned.
