Private Hospitals Can Charge Up To Rs 250 Per Dose Of Covid-19 Vaccine
Rs 250 will be the ceiling - Rs 150 will be the cost of the vaccine and Rs 100 will be service charge.
Private hospitals can charge up to Rs 250 per dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, official sources said on Saturday as India prepares to vaccinate people aged above 60 years and those over 45 with comorbidities from March 1.
The Covid-19 vaccine will be given free of cost at government hospitals, while people will need to pay for it at private facilities.
“Rs 250 will be the ceiling - Rs 150 will be the cost of the vaccine and Rs 100 will be service charge. This arrangement will remain effective till further orders,” a source said.
According to sources, states and union territories have been informed about it.
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The Union Health Ministry on Friday had said beneficiaries would be able to self-register in advance by downloading the Co-WIN 2.0 portal and through other I.T. applications such as Aarogya Setu, which will show the government and private hospitals serving as Covid-19 vaccination centers (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, the ministry said.
There will be a facility for on-site registration so that eligible beneficiaries can walk into identified vaccination centres, get themselves registered and inoculated.
“Eligible beneficiaries would be able to register themselves on the Co-WIN platform from March 1 itself,” RS Sharma, Chairman of Empowered Group on Covid-19 Vaccine Administration had said.
The nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive was launched on January 16. This is now to be exponentially expanded to the age-groups.
During a meeting held on Friday, representatives of states and Union Territories were explained the basic features of version 2.0 of the digital platform Co-WIN, which is a population-scale software with capacity of processing several thousands of entries.
It was pointed out that all CVCs must be government health facilities such as sub-health centers (SHCs), primary health centers (PHCs), community health centers (CHCs), Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centers, Sub-Division Hospitals, District Hospitals and Medical College Hospitals or private hospitals empaneled under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PM JAY) and similar State Health Insurance Schemes.
States and Union Territories were asked to ensure that the private health facilities have adequate space for the vaccination process, as detailed in the comprehensive SOPs issued by the ministry.
All beneficiaries, regardless of the mode of access will have to carry any one of the following photo ID documents:
- Aadhaar Card
- Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC)
- Photo ID card specified at the time of registration in case of online registration (if not Aadhaar or EPIC)
- Certificate of co-morbidity for citizens in age group of 45 years to 59 years (signed by a registered medical practitioner), and
- Employment certificate / Official Identity Card for healthcare workers (HCWs) and frontline workers (FLWs).
States and Union Territories on Friday were explained the simplified process of registration, which shall be through three routes - advance self-registration, on-site registration and facilitated cohort registration.
Under the first route, beneficiaries will be able to self-register in advance by downloading the Co-WIN 2.0 portal and through other I.T. applications such as Aarogya Setu.
“This will show the government and private hospitals serving as 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.
“The facility of on-site registration allows those who cannot self-register in advance to walk into the identified CVCs and get themselves registered on-site and then vaccinated,” the ministry said.
Under the facilitated cohort registration mechanism, the state and Union Territory government will take proactive lead, the ministry said in the statement.
Specific date(s) for Covid-19 vaccination will be decided where target groups of potential beneficiates will be vaccinated. State and health authorities will ensure that that the target groups are actively mobilised and brought to the vaccination centers. ASHAs, ANMs, Panchayati Raj representatives and Women's Self Help Groups (SHGs) will be utilised for mobilising the target groups.