BHUBANESWAR: The Centre has allocated 10.16 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccines for procurement by private hospitals in Odisha in the month of July. The allocation includes 8.43 lakh doses of Covishield and 1.73 lakh of Covaxin.
The State government has stopped supplying vaccines to private hospitals after the revised guidelines on Covid-19 vaccination allowed the latter to purchase 25 per cent of the stock from domestic manufacturers. Prior to the allocation, the Centre had asked all states including Odisha to aggregate hospital-wise demand of vaccine every month for all private hospitals and intimate the Ministry of Health.
The demand generation is from all private hospitals including large, small, corporate and standalone clinics as well as the facilities fulfilling the prescribed conditions for Covid Vaccination Centre (CVC). Health department sources said priority has been given to Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS)/State scheme BSKY empanelled hospitals as the Centre will facilitate procurement and payment for doses ordered by each private hospital by utilising the electronic platform of National Health Authority (NHA).
After the payment is made, the Ministry will facilitate supply of vaccines to the hospitals respective states. The Ministry will share allocation for each month in advance. The State government has declared Joint Director (Immunisation) Dr Prativa Pradhan (mobile phone number 9439991223) as the nodal officer for
coordinating with districts.
Additional Chief Secretary of Health PK Mohapatra said all districts and municipal corporations have been asked to conduct a meeting with private hospitals within two days and sensitise them on the process of vaccine procurement and inoculation of people. The districts will have to compile the demand of each private hospital by June 30 without fail for submission to the Health Ministry, he said.
Meanwhile, the district officials have been directed to stop supplying vaccines to private entities and withdraw stock (if any) as the interested hospitals can procure vaccines directly from manufacturers and carry out paid inoculation as per price fixed by the Centre.