Odisha urges Centre to change vaccine ratio for govt, pvt hospitals

The state has urged the Centre to revise the guidelines set for government and private vaccine procurement allocation ratio in the state from 75:25 to 95:5.

Published on: Jun 14, 2021, 23:31:45 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Odisha government on Monday urged the Centre to revise the guidelines set for government and private vaccine procurement allocation ratio in the state from 75:25 to 95:5, Odisha additional chief secretary PK Mohapatra stated in a letter to ministry of health and family welfare secretary.

Gurugram , India - June 10, 2021: A Young woman get her first Jab of Covid Vaccination in 18 plus category at Poly Clinic in Sector 31 in Gurugram , India, on Thursday, June 10, 2021. (Photo by Vipin Kumar / Hindustan Times) (Vipin Kumar /HT PHOTO)

Mohapatra urged the Centre to revise the allocation ratio as the presence of private hospitals is very low and limited to only about five per cent of the total healthcare sector in the State.

“It has been mentioned that 25 per cent of monthly production of vaccines by domestic manufacturers can be directly procured by private hospitals. However, till date, only four private hospitals in Odisha have been able to procure vaccines directly from the manufacturers,” said Mohapatra.

“In Odisha, the presence of private hospitals is very low and limited to only about five per cent of the total health care sector in the state. Hence, it is apprehended that as per the existing guidelines, Odisha will lose out on its proportionate share of 25 per cent allocation of vaccines to the private sector.”

Last week, PM Modi announced that from June 21, the Centre will provide Covid-19 vaccines to all states. Modi said the government will procure 75 per cent of all vaccines produced in India and supply them to adults free of cost while private hospitals can procure the rest 25 per cent and administer those at a price fixed by the Centre. The central government fixed the price of the Covishield vaccine at ₹780, Covaxin at ₹1,410, and Sputnik V at ₹1,145. It also capped the service charge of vaccines administered by private hospitals at ₹150.

Till Monday evening, Odisha had administered 8.94 million doses of Covishield and Covaxin vaccines to beneficiaries.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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