NEW DELHI: Delhi's first drive-through COVID-19 vaccination facility, which opened with much fanfare two weeks ago, is being shut as the Centre's price cap for vaccines has made operation unviable, officials said on Friday.
The drive-through centre at Vegas Mall in Dwarka, an initiative by the Delhi government and Aakash Healthcare Super Speciality Hospital, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on May 26. A vaccine shot at the drive-through facility cost Rs 1,400.
On June 8, the central government set the maximum price private hospitals can charge for the three COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the country -- Covishield Rs 780 per dose, Covaxin Rs 1,410 and Sputnik V Rs 1,145.
"Delhi's First Drive Thru, a highly safe, convenient way for public, which we ran non-stop for 15 days, we have decided to stop now, owing to new vaccination pricing, as running it has become non-viable now," Aakash Healthcare Super Speciality Hospital said in a statement.
In a letter to all states and union territories on June 8, the Union health ministry had suggested that strict action be taken against private vaccination centres overcharging for vaccines.