New Delhi: The Centre may conduct talks with vaccine makers Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech and renegotiate the prices of their respective vaccines. This development comes days after Centre announced fresh Covid vaccine procurement guidelines stating that all adults over the age of 18 will be vaccinated for free June 21 onwards.
“The revised procurement price per dose is yet to be decided under the new system”, a senior government official was quoted as telling The Indian Express. “The Centre is finalising the contours of the pricing,” the official added.
As of now, the Central government is procuring both Covishield and Covaxin at Rs 150.
The Centre recently fixed the maximum price that private hospitals can charge for Covid vaccines amid allegations of profiteering from the Opposition. Now, the price of Covishield has been fixed at Rs 780, Covaxin at Rs 1,410, and Russian vaccine Sputnik V at Rs 1,145. This includes taxes as well as a 150 rupee service charge for the hospitals.
The Centre has also asked the states not to allow private hospitals to levy more than Rs 150 as a service charge.
Prior to this, the government had announced that it will provide free coronavirus vaccines to states and union territories for inoculation of all above 18 from June 21. Asserting that vaccine supply would be increased significantly in the coming days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Centre has now decided to buy 75 per cent of jabs from vaccine makers for free supply to states, while private sector hospitals will continue to procure 25 per cent of vaccines but they cannot charge more than Rs 150 per dose over the pre-fixed price.