Mumbai: stuck with a covid vaccine dose that is not sold crores, private hospitals have begun offering their shares at a discount price of 10-30% for mass buyers.
Many even approach producers hope to restore unsold inventories.
Far from the situation in May-June when private players faced a crisis lacking, they sat at a dose more than 47lakh last week.
Hospitals in Mumbai may have more than 85% of non-sold doses.
Vaccination in the private sector of the city was nosed in October with JAB paid less than 3LH given.
Sanjeevani Hospital in Malad has 7,000 doses of Covishield worth Rs 44lakh and almost no participants.
“I have approached the manufacturer and BMC, but no one wants to take a vaccine,” said Dr.
Sunil Agarwal, Director of the Hospital.
“We are willing to liquidate with a 30% discount …
it’s better than the dose will be in vain at all,” he said.
Daily Rakfall Hospital for vaccination has dropped to 20-25 people, far below the 1,000 crowd they have before.
In a similar dilemma is an Oscar Hospital on the western outskirts with around 25,000 doses.
Dr.
Nitin Pawar said, “We have all three-covishield, covaxin and sputnik, but almost no one will advance,” said Dr.
Pawar.
Oscar, like many others, sunbathing on the government agreed to a booster shot.
“In other ways we might see a surge in demand is if the interval between the dose is reduced,” he said.
The corporation said more than 22 lakh people would be eligible for vaccination immediately if the 84-day interval was shortened.
Dr.
Prince Surana, CEO of Surana Group of Hospitals said many hospitals tried to sell shares with discounts, but few found buyers.
Cowin allows private hospitals to transfer each other’s doses.
“The option is used especially when someone in the urgent need of 100-200 doses.
If anyone wants more doses, they usually order directly with the manufacturer,” he said.
The head of another hospital said he was talking to the Indian Serum Institute to ask them to take several doses.
“They refused by saying they could not confirm how the vaccine was stored,” he said.
The extension of the Covaxin expiration period from 6 months to 12 months has brought a little relief, he said.
A state official said a private hospital had offered a vaccine to the government.
“But we cannot buy from the private sector when there is a supply of abundant from the center,” the official said.
Interestingly, there is no hospital that slashes the tariff despite excess supply.