Don’t bank on private hospitals for Covaxin

People waiting to get the second shot of the indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine, Covaxin, in private hospitals may have to switch to a government facility.Many private hospitals are wary of procuring Covaxin, as the price of ₹1,200 a dose announced by the manufacturer, Bharat Biotech, for direct procurement is eight times the price at which they are currently getting it through the government.Private hospitals now charge ₹250 a dose, including ₹100 as service charge, for administering the vaccine to the 45-plus age group. However, from May 1, they have to directly procure vaccines from manufacturers.For private healthcare facilities, Covaxin will come at more than twice the cost of Covishield, which manufacturer Serum Institute of India will sell at ₹600 a dose to them. 82302276“It is like if we are paying ₹1.5 lakh now for Covaxin for the same amount of vaccines, we will have to pay much more. We would rather switch to Covishield,” said a senior representative at a private hospital, who did not wish to be named.The price of both vaccines supplied to the central government remains unchanged at ₹150 a dose. States need to pay more — ₹600 a dose for Covaxin and ₹300 for Covishield — but several of them have promised to keep the vaccination free of cost.With the cost set to be much higher now, many people who took the first shot at private facilities may also opt for government-run centres for the second.With just two days to go for the Covid-19 vaccination drive to open to everyone over 18 years of age, the road map is quite unclear, said a senior representative with a private hospital.“Internal discussions suggest that we may not procure Covaxin because of the price which has been jacked up for private hospitals. We are also unsure if there would be enough supplies of Covaxin,” said an official in another private hospital.Any shortage of vaccines in the private set up will also impact the 18-44 age group as, according to the new guidelines from the Centre, Government of India supplies of vaccines will not be used for people beyond the existing priority groups, or those in the 45-plus group.“Hospitals will have to arrange for their procurement,” a government official said.People in the know told ET that while hospitals have held discussions with vaccine companies, nothing concrete has come out of those yet. “The company is clear that the first priority is the central government, then they will serve the state government and if they are left with something then private healthcare providers would get supplies. The private hospitals can’t jump the queue,” said a person who is aware of the discussions.

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