The Centre has now allowed all the private hospitals to administer covid-19 vaccine if they follow all the standard operating measures laid by the Health ministry. The Centre also directed states and union territories to utilise the optimum capacity of private medical facilities empanelled under the three categories that were listed by the government ahead of the phase 2 vaccine roll out.
The Centre also urged states and Union territories to utilise the vaccine doses instead of storing, reserving and conserving in a stock. In an official meeting with the states, the Centre said that there’s no shortage of vaccine doses in the country and therefore, states should be allocated with enough covid vaccination centres.
“The central government has adequate stock and will provide the required vaccine doses to the states and UTs,” it said.
All states and UTs have also been assured adequate allocation of covid-19 vaccines to all the hospitals, governments as well as private until the vaccination programme across the country is rampant.
The Centre also asked states and UTs to collaborate with Private Hospitals to ensure that they actively participate in the vaccination programme and the optimum capcacity for vaccination is utilised.
“Private hospitals not empanelled under the above-mentioned three categories have also been permitted to operate as CVCs if they have adequate number of vaccinators, adequate space for observation of the vaccinated, adequate cold chain arrangement and adequate arrangement for management of Adverse Events Following Immunisation(AEFI),” the statement said.
India started its covid-19 vaccination programme on January 16 with two approved vaccines — Covisheild and Covaxin. In the first phase, the country inoculated approximately 14 crore health care and frontline workers. In the second phase now, the country has planned to administer the vaccine doses to as many as 27 crore people aged above 60 and those between 45 and 59 with specific comorbidities.