HYDERABAD: Those in rural areas do not have the luxury of getting vaccinated in private hospitals. Nearly all the private hospitals that carry out vaccination for those who are in the 18-45 years bracket are located in Hyderabad or in nearby districts. Only three hospitals in far-flung towns have this facility — one each in Karimnagar, Bhadrachalam and Nizamabad. Most of the private hospitals in Telangana that have permission to vaccinate those in the 18-45 years group are in Hyderabad (12), Rangareddy (six), Medchal-Malkajgiri (three) and Sangareddy (two).
Since May 26, when the Telangana government gave permission to private Covid-19 vaccination centres (PCVC) to administer vaccines to the above mentioned age group, the number of vaccinations for the group have picked up, but only owing to the fact that the State government has made a concentrated effort to vaccinate high risk, high exposure groups.
Till now, 7,01,668 people in the age group have got the shot, of which 1,60,252 were vaccinated in the past five days after the drive began. One of the key reasons for private hospitals in the districts not having begun vaccinations is the lack of availability of sufficient stocks.
Suppliers not keen on small orders
“One issue we face is that the manufacturers of the vaccines have had a lukewarm response to inquiries made so far. Since our hospitals are smaller, we are given to understand that they may not be keen on small orders,” explained a doctor who manages a hospital in Nalgonda.
As for the hospitals, they are not sure how the response of the public is going to be if the vaccine is priced over `1,000. “Our freezer stocking capacity is small, so the maximum we can hold is 500-1,000 vials at a time. Apart from this, we saw that when the government itself is supplying vaccines for subsidised rates of `150, not many are approaching us. Only in the last 15 days, when cases rose, people came for vaccinations. But for a `1,000 price, this may not happen,” added the doctor.
Despite these constraints, nearly 100 private hospitals under the banner of Telangana Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (THANA) have submitted their expression of interest to the Department of Health, to start vaccine centres in their hospitals. They are awaiting permission on the same to work out the modalities.“Several hospitals are interested in carrying out vaccinations. Once permissions come, we will reach out to manufacturers and see how the response is,” added Dr Krishna Rao, president, THANA.