‘Against guidelines’: Centre directs pvt hospitals, hotels to stop giving COVID-19 vaccination packages

May 30, 2021

After some private hospitals in collaboration with hotels started giving packages for COVID-19 vaccination, the Union Health Ministry called the move against the guidelines issued for the National COVID vaccination programme saying it must be stopped immediately.
The Centre said this in a letter written to states/Union Territories (UTs).
Union Health Ministry Additional Secretary Dr Manohar Agnani in the letter stated that necessary legal and administrative actions should be initiated against such institutions.

‘Ensure that vaccination drives are carried out as per prescribed guidelines’
According to ANI, four options available for the vaccination drive are: Government COVID Vaccination Centre, Private COVID Vaccination Centre run by private hospitals, Workplace COVID Vaccination Centre at government offices to be run by government hospitals and at private companies to be run by private hospitals, Near to Home COVID Vaccination Centre for the elderly and differently-abled person to be organised at group housing societies, RWA offices, community centres, Panchayat Bhawans, schools/colleges, old age homes on a temporary basis.
Agnani has urged the states and UTs to monitor and ensure that vaccination drives are carried out as per the prescribed guidelines.
This development comes after several social media posts started regarding vaccination package offered by star hotels in collaboration with private hospitals started circulating.

Meanwhile, the cumulative number of coronavirus vaccines administered in India crossed 21 crores on Saturday.
According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), a total of 28,09,436 vaccine doses was given out of which, 25,11,052 beneficiaries were vaccinated for the first dose while 2,98,384 beneficiaries received a second dose of vaccine.
The report states that Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh administered more than 10 lakh beneficiaries of the age group 18-44 years for their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.