Covid-19 Vaccine: Govt Imposes Cap, Private Hospitals Can Charge Up to Rs 250 Per Dose Private hospitals can charge up to Rs 250...

Covid-19 Vaccine: Govt Imposes Cap, Private Hospitals Can Charge Up to Rs 250 Per Dose

Private hospitals can charge up to Rs 250 per dose of COVID-19 vaccine, the government said on Saturday as India prepares to vaccinate people aged above 60 years and those over 45 with comorbidities from March 1. The vaccine will be given free of cost at government hospitals, while people will need to pay for it at private facilities.

States have given the freedom to use all private hospitals empanelled under the State Government Health Insurance Schemes as COVID vaccination centres. States can also use health facilities of all PSUs and all government health facilities as CVCs.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Saturday interacted with health secretaries and MDs of states and UTs on the vaccination of age-appropriate groups via video-conference.

States have been told that private hospitals functioning as CVCs can charge subject to a ceiling of Rs 250 per person per dose. Usernames and passwords will be provided to the private facilities to facilitate the effective use of CoWIN 2.0 mobile app. In addition, mapping of private facilities with the nearest cold chain points should be done to ensure seamless flow of vaccines.