KOLKATA: All private Covid vaccination centres (CVC)s started implementing the newly capped vaccine price uniformly from Thursday.
State health officials during a meet on Wednesday told private hospital representatives they had the option of implementing the new regime from June 21 but it would be good if they could do it at the earliest.
The Centre on Monday had capped the service charge by private vaccination facilities at Rs 150 a dose for all the three vaccines—Covishield, Covaxin and Sputnik V.
The Russian jab is yet to be available commercially.
“We have started charging the revised rates at our hospital centre.
We are thankful to the state government for allowing the value-added charges at off-site camps.
Vaccination is a community service and we will go by the same speed,” said Fortis Healthcare chief of strategy and operations Richa Singh Debgupta.
“The uniformed pricing for all hospitals is a good move and we started implementing it from Wednesday,” said Belle Vue Clinic CEO Pradip Tondon.
In addition to its own vaccine centres at its three hospitals in Kolkata, the AMRI group has decided to charge the capped rate at its special camps, like the drive-by vaccination launched with Kolkata Police, as well.
“The drive-by campaign is for the common man and not for corporates.
So, we will charge Rs 780 for a dose there camp as well even if it is an off-site drive,” said AMRI Hospitals group CEO Rupak Barua.
Woodlands scaled up its target to 5,000 doses across 14 locations in and around the city on Thursday, against 3,303 on Wednesday.
“The charges at our two hospital centres, one for Covishield and another for Covaxin, have been rectified in the portal, according to the capped price,” said Rupali Basu, managing director, Woodlands.
CMRI, too, started the capped amount from Wednesday at its hospital but decided to charge Rs 1,000 a dose at off-site camps till June 21 or till further clarification.
“We have also submitted a requisition for 10,000 Covishield doses through the state.
We are ready to scale up our operation if the supply chain becomes seamless,” said CK Birla Hospital CMRI COO Simmardeep Gill.
RN Tangore Hospital has been charging only the Covishield cost of Rs 630 at its hospital centre since the very first day and Rs 750 at outside camps.
“Even when we get the two other vaccines, we will not take any service charge at our hospital centre,” said Narayana Health zonal director (East) R Venkatesh.
Many hospitals have started sending their requisition for vaccine to the government and they are hopeful of getting regular supply.