Central Health Officials on Friday clarified that only private hospitals that are empanelled under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) will be permitted to join the COVID-19 vaccination drive. This particular aspect raises questions on the role of hospitals that are run a charity trust.
Officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that they will put forth an appeal to the State Government seeking permission to continue using 15 trust-run hospitals that are currently involved in the vaccination drive.
On Friday, a record 58,809 people took the vaccine in the state while Mumbai had a 108% turnout for vaccinations. The city has around 40 vaccination centres with the civic body looking to increase it to 100 so as to assist people aged over 45 with comorbidities as well as senior citizens. The population of people over the age of 60 is around 10 lakh.
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“The number of beneficiaries is so huge in this phase that we will need many vaccination centres,” Additional Municipal Commissioner at the BMC, Suresh Kakani said.
With the third phase of COVID-19 vaccinations commencing on March 1, the Central Health Ministry held a meeting with officials from the states on Friday. The central team explained the mode of registration for senior citizens while also saying that only private hospitals empanelled under the aforementioned CGHS, Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), and similar state insurance programs will be eligible to become vaccination points.
“Once the third phase picks up pace, the government will have to allow other private hospitals to be enrolled as well,” a senior state official quoted by TOI said while adding that these could be the recommendations for the initial stages of the vaccinations, hinting that the government may change its stance in the future.
Maharashtra has so far vaccinated around 12 lakh people as per official data. Vaccinations are picking up pace among healthcare workers and frontline staff with a combined 58,809 people turning up for their shots including 35,534 healthcare workers and 23,275 frontline staff.
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Meanwhile, in Mumbai, over 2.2 lakh people have been vaccinated as of now. Around 12,159 people took their vaccine shots on Friday. 5,504 of them were healthcare workers and 6,655 were frontline staff.
State Immunisation Officer, Dr Dilip Patil said that no vaccinations will be conducted across India on Saturday and Sunday as the Co-WIN application is undergoing an upgrade. However, the app should be open for self-registration to eligible citizens by Monday, March 1.
Also read - Around 43 Million COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Shipped From Mumbai Airport So Far
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