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Fewer private hospitals booking vaccine doses in Punjab
These facilities placed orders for only 50,000 shots against 5.5 lakh they were expected to get in June as per new vaccination policy
Fewer private hospitals in Punjab are coming forward to buy Covid-19 vaccine as only 50,000 doses were booked by them in June, according to information procured from the state health department.
Principal secretary (health) Hussan Lal said the central officials had informed that private hospitals in the state were expected to get 5.5 lakh doses in June as per the new vaccination policy that came into effect from June 21.
“The Centre has asked us to motivate private hospitals to buy vaccines from the 25% quota fixed for them. But their response has not been very enthusiastic. This is probably due to the fact that free doses are increasingly made available,” he added.
Under the new norms, the Union government is reserving 25% of the doses for private hospitals keeping in view the past consumption and demand.
Another official said another major reason behind private hospitals not coming forward to book vaccines is the capping on the fee of not more than ₹150 per dose.
“Earlier, there was no capping and the hospitals were charging ₹300-700 per dose,” he said.
Indian Medical Association (IMA) vice-president Dr Navjot Dahiya said, “When the vaccine is easily available free of cost why would someone come to have it in a private hospitals. I urge the state and the Centre to involve us in the free drive as they have done in the first when we were given doses from the state quota,” said Dr Dahiya.
On Friday, the state health department officials had a videoconference with the private hospitals in the state to motivate them to book the doses meant for them.
