Poor response by pvt players to Covid vaccination programme

PATNA The government’s move to decentralise vaccine procurement has failed to kindle the interest of private players in Bihar to participate in the national vaccination mission

PATNA

HT Image

The government’s move to decentralise vaccine procurement has failed to kindle the interest of private players in Bihar to participate in the national vaccination mission.

Only 11 private health facilities have shown interest to set up vaccination session sites since the Centre decentralised its vaccine procurement policy in May, before changing it again on Monday. It has asked private health facilities to correspond directly with the vaccine firms for supplies against the 25% production share available to them. While allowing them to charge people for vaccination, it capped the service charge to a maximum of ₹150 per vaccine dose, in addition to the cost of procuring the vaccine.

Patna is the lone district among 37 others in Bihar to have shown some interest. Among some big private health facilities to have applied for government permission for vaccination are the Paras HMRI Hospital, Ruban Memorial Hospital, BIG Apollo Hospital, Mahavir Cancer Sansthan, Mahavir Aarogya Hospital, Mahavir Vatsalya Aspatal, Kurji Holy Family Hospital and the Tripolia Hospital, Gulzarbagh.

The number of private players in Bihar now willing to participate in the Covid vaccination programme has fallen sharply as compared to over 100 private players during the National Covid Vaccination Programme between January 16 and April 30.

As many as 40 private health facilities in Patna had participated in the mission earlier. Only 11 have sustained the interest now.

“There is demand among our patients for the vaccine. Already, a few companies like the Reliance, HDFC Bank and the ICICI Bank have approached us to vaccinate its employees. We are happy with the service charge the government is offering us. We have been granted permission to host a vaccination session site at our hospital after the civil surgeon inspected our premises. We are hopeful to get the vaccines in July,” said managing director of the Ruban Memorial Hospital, Dr Satyajit Kumar Singh, who was earlier averse to the idea of hosting a vaccination session site at his hospital, after the government changed its policy of giving free vaccines to private players in May.

The Ruban hospital, he said, had administered an average 200 to 450 doses of vaccine a day between January 16 and April 30.

The state government had granted permission to the three hospitals under the Mahavir temple trust, said its secretary Acharya Kishore Kunal.

“We have been allotted the centre code after inspection of our premises and indications are that the vaccines will be made available to us next month,” said Dr Upendra Prasad Sinha, nodal officer (vaccination) at the Mahavir Vatsalya Aspatal.

Some other hospitals expressed skepticism about footfall at private centres for paid vaccination after the Prime Minister Monday announced that the Centre would provide free vaccines to states and union territories for vaccinating the population above 18 years of age, while asking private players to procure them directly from firms and allowed them a service charge of ₹150 per dose.

The Centre had last month expressed concern that none of the private hospital from Bihar had entered into contract with manufacturers.

A letter, dated May 31, from Dr Manohar Agnani, additional secretary, ministry of health and family welfare, to Bihar’s additional secretary (health) Pratyaya Amrit had asked him to encourage better performing hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana to sign an agreement with the two vaccine manufacturers.

“This would enable the state to secure more vaccines for Covid-19 vaccination,” said Dr Agnani in his letter, a copy of which was with the Hindustan Times.

Manoj Kumar, executive director, State Health Society, Bihar, did not respond to calls.