In order to ensure that the entire Indian population is vaccinated against COVID-19, the Centre in its revised guidelines mentioned that people from the economically weaker sections can get themselves inoculated by using non-transferable electronic vouchers approved by the Reserve Bank of India.
In the revised guidelines for vaccination, issued on Tuesday, the Union health ministry said, all citizens irrespective of their income status are entitled to free vaccination. Those who have the ability to pay are encouraged to use private hospital’s vaccination centres.
It further added, to promote the spirit of “Lok Kalyan", use of non-transferable Electronic Vouchers which can be redeemed at private vaccination centers, will be encouraged. This would enable people to financially support vaccination of Economically Weaker Sections at private vaccination centres.
As per the directive, the revised guidelines will come into effect from 21st June 2021 and will be reviewed from time to time.
Here is what else the guidelines says:
- Apart from registrations for vaccination through Co-WIN platform, all government and private vaccination centers should also provide onsite registration facility, available both for individuals as well as groups of individuals. The detailed procedure is to be finalised and published by states/UTs
- Vaccine doses provided free of cost by the Centre will be allocated to states/UTs based on criteria such as population, disease burden and progress of vaccination. "Wastage of vaccine will affect the allocation negatively," the revised guidelines issued by the Union health ministry said.
- The Government of India will procure 75 per cent of the vaccines being produced by manufacturers in the country. “The vaccines procured will continue to be provided free of cost to states and UTs as has been the case from the commencement of the national vaccination programme. These doses will be administered by the states/UTs free of cost to all citizens as per priority through government vaccination centres.
- Within the population group of citizens more than 18 years of age, states/UTs may decide their own prioritisation factoring in the vaccine supply schedule
- In order to incentivise production by vaccine manufacturers and encourage new vaccines, domestic vaccine manufacturers are also given the option to provide vaccines directly to private hospitals. This would be restricted to 25 per cent of their monthly production
- The states/UTs will aggregate the demand of private hospitals keeping in view equitable distribution of vaccines between large and small private hospitals and regional balance.
- "Based on this aggregated demand, the Union government will facilitate supply of these vaccines to private hospitals and their payment through the National Health Authority's electronic platform. This would enable the smaller and remoter private hospitals to obtain timely supply of vaccines, and further equitable access and regional balance," the ministry said.
- The price of vaccine doses for private hospitals will be declared by each vaccine manufacturer, and any subsequent changes will be notified in advance.
- States may also optimally utilise the common service centres and call centres to facilitate prior booking by citizens.
- The revised program provides states/UTs with additional central government support across funding, procurement and logistics.
The Covid vaccination in the country commenced with vaccination to all healthcare workers. The program was expanded with time to include vaccination of frontline workers, citizens more than 60 years of age, those more than 45 years of age and eventually those more than 18 years of age.
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