The Centre on Tuesday told states and Union Territories that all private hospitals, including those that are not empanelled under governmen...
The Centre on Tuesday told states and Union Territories that all private hospitals, including those that are not empanelled under government health schemes, can be utilised for administering coronavirus vaccines.
The statement came a day after India began the second phase of its coronavirus vaccination drive. In this phase, people above 60 years of age, and those who are 45 or more and suffering from comorbidities, are now eligible for the vaccinations. This is free at government facilities, while private centres are offering it at a capped price of Rs 250 per dose.
Around 10,000 private hospitals under Ayushman Bharat, more than 600 hospitals under the Central Government Health Scheme, and other private hospitals enrolled under state schemes were designated as vaccination centres.
“Private hospitals not empanelled under the above mentioned three categories have also been permitted to operate as CVCs [Covid-19 Vaccination Centres] if they have adequate number of vaccinators, adequate space for observation of the vaccinated, adequate cold chain arrangement and adequate arrangement for management of AEFI [adverse event following immunisation],” the health ministry said in a statement. “States/UTs can proactively make efforts to use these private hospitals as CVCs.”
The ministry also asked the states to ensure that there is adequate allocation of vaccines to all hospitals operating...
