Pvt centres can take 'service charge' up to Rs 100 per vaccination: Sources

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 Covid19 This will be in addition to the cost of the vaccines government sources told IANS on FridayThe decision was taken at a meeting held on Friday evening after taking inputs from the major private healthcare brands the sources addedWhatever is the cost the vaccine provided to them they private facilities will have a band of Rs 100 to incur the operational cost of the vaccines which includes syringes needles manpower etc sources told IANS adding that the government has clarified that the private centres will not be allowed to charge more than Rs 100 plus cost of the dose from the beneficiariesThe sources also added that the vaccines will be provided to the private vaccination centres by the government itself The private hospitals can also avail vaccines from the public hospitals having cold storage facilitiesMeanwhile 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 addedWhile there is no official word from the government yet officials said that the rate is being fixed at a reasonable priceThe government is looking to fix the judicious cost of the vaccines said Suneela Garg public health expert and member of the government task force for Covid vaccinationThe sources suggested that a single dose is expected to cost below Rs 600The sources also said that one challenge the government is facing is coming to an even price for both the Covid vaccines being used in the vaccination driveCovaxin 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 a senior official saidHowever the beneficiaries will not have a choice over the vaccinesGajendra 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 saidHe also said that the beneficiaries will not have a choice over the two vaccines They will have to take the vaccine as per its availability at the vaccination centre If a centre has Covaxin the beneficiary will be provided that vaccine only he saidHowever the beneficiaries can choose which centre they wish to go to for vaccination in their respective city Singh addedMeanwhile the Centre has formed four mandatory prerequisites for the private healthcare facilities willing to start vaccination centresi They must have adequate space for the vaccination process as detailed in the comprehensive SOPs issued by the Ministryii They must have basic cold chain equipments for storing the vaccine vialsiii They must have their own team of vaccinators and staffiv They must have adequate facility for management of any AEFI casesMeanwhile the beneficiaries will get three modes for registering for the vaccination drive Advance selfregistration through CoWIN 20 or Aarogya Setu walkin registration at vaccination sites and facilitated vaccination where the stateUT government will reach out to the beneficiaries through ASHAs ANMs Panchayati Raj representatives and womens Self Help Groups SHGs as per the information released by the governmentRegistration 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 hisher choice and book an appointment for vaccinationThe third phase of vaccination against Covid19 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 10000 government and over 20000 private vaccination centresWhile people will be vaccinated free of cost at the government hospitals those taking the shots at private hospitals will have to payThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever