Centre has released revised guidelines for the nationwide vaccination programme
Bengaluru: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that his government would vaccinate all above 18 years of age from June 21 for free, the Centre has released revised guidelines for the nationwide vaccination programme.
The guidelines mostly reiterate the point made by the Prime Minister during his address to the nation on Monday.
The guidelines note that the vaccine procured will be supplied free to all states and Union Territories, which will be administered to all people as per priority. It states that with regard to vaccinating those over the age of 18, states and Union Territories may decide their own prioritisation factoring in vaccine supply.
The new rules note that the states and the Union Territories will be notified beforehand of the vaccine doses to be supplied to them. States and Union Territories have to put on the public domain information about vaccine availability at district and vaccination centre level and disseminate this among the local population.
According to the guidelines, vaccine manufacturers have been allowed to sell 25 per cent of the monthly stock to private hospitals. States and Union Territories have to aggregate the demand of private hospitals keeping in view equitable distribution between large and small private hospitals and regional balance. The Centre will facilitate the supply of these vaccines to private hospitals and their payment through the National Health Authority's electronic platform based on the aggregated demand.
The government, however, clarified that private hospitals might charge up to a maximum of Rs 150 per dose as a service charge. The price of the vaccine doses for private hospitals will be declared by vaccine manufacturers.
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