Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Updated : February 27, 2021 10:07 AM IST
Registration by CoWIN or Aarogya Setu will show the beneficiaries government and private hospitals serving as Covid Vaccination Centres (CVCs) with date and time of the available schedules.
The third phase of vaccination against COVID-19 pandemic will begin from March 1 and will cover 27 crore of people above 60 years of age and those above 45 years of age with comorbidities at 10,000 government and over 20,000 private vaccination centres. While people will be vaccinated free of cost at the government hospitals, those taking the shots at private hospitals will have to pay. The private facilities will be able to collect a "service charge" of up to Rs 100 from the beneficiaries to meet the operational expenses they will be incurring during the vaccination drive against COVID-19. This will be in addition to the cost of the vaccines, government sources told IANS on Friday. The decision was taken at a meeting held on Friday evening after taking inputs from the major private healthcare brands. Whatever the cost the vaccine provided to them may be, private facilities will have a band of Rs 100 to cover the operational cost of the vaccines like includes syringes, needles, manpower etc. But the government has clarified that these private centres will not be allowed to charge more than Rs 100 (plus cost of the dose) from the beneficiaries.
The vaccines will be provided to the private vaccination centres by the government itself. The private hospitals can also avail vaccines from public hospitals that have cold storage facilities. Meanwhile, the sources said that deliberations regarding fixing the cost on which the government would provide vaccines to the private healthcare facilities are still on. "It will be decided shortly. The stakeholders will be informed may be by tonight or by the morning," the sources added. While there is no official word from the government yet, officials said that the rate is being fixed at a reasonable price. Word is going around that a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine is expected to cost below Rs 600.
The sources also said that one challenge the government is facing is coming to an even price for both the approved COVID-19 vaccines being used in the vaccination drive. This is because Covaxin costs a bit higher, while Covishield is cheaper and more widely available than the former. The government is bothered by the possibility that one vaccine being at a higher price may discourage the beneficiaries from taking it.
The beneficiaries will not have a choice over the vaccines. One thing that is clear is that you will not have a say in which COVID-19 vaccine you get. You have to take whatever is available at the centre.
Gajendra Pal Singh, member of the expert committee on vaccine administration, said, "The private facilities will have to show their intent first. After the approval, they will be able to receive vaccine doses," he said. Beneficiaries can choose which centre they wish to go to for vaccination in their respective city.
The Centre has formed four mandatory pre-requisites for the private healthcare facilities willing to start vaccination centres.
The beneficiaries will get three modes for registering for the vaccination drive:
Registration by CoWIN or Aarogya Setu will show the beneficiaries government and private hospitals serving as Covid Vaccination Centres (CVCs) with date and time of the available schedules. The beneficiary would be able to choose the CVC of his/her choice and book an appointment for vaccination.
(With inputs from IANS)
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