As the new vaccination policy comes into effect Monday onwards, the ambiguity over its implementation still sustains. The unclarity has led the small and standalone private hospitals to buy Covid-19 vaccines from the large hospitals at a premium charge up to Rs 50 for a single dose.

VIMHANS hospital is getting the doses of Covaxin at Rs 1,310 from a corporate hospital based in Noida. A single jab of the vaccine is available at Rs 1,260 if purchased from its manufacturer.

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“As the vaccination charge is now fixed and we can’t add the premium we spent on procuring vaccines to its final price that we will be taking from the customers, the only option left is to cut our margins on the service charge,” said Yateesh Wahaal, MD, VIMHANS.

The latest policy states that the maximum service charge a private hospital can take over a vaccine dose is Rs 150. “We will be getting Rs 100 which leaves us in a position of no profit no loss since it will be spent over syringes, needles, manpower etc,” he added.

Akin to VIMHANS, many hospitals are tying up with large or multi-chain hospitals where vaccines are in plenty. While some are asked to pay a premium against the lot, a few are getting at the rate.

Tirath Ram Shah Charitable Hospital is also buying the doses from a corporate hospital but at the MRP. “Since we are a charitable healthcare facility, that hospital didn’t demand a premium from us,” said Dr Shilpa Pandita, deputy medical superintendent at the hospital.

However, many hospitals have not been able to find a seller. They wait to hear from the state government, which is now in charge of the allocation of the doses as the new vaccination policy kicks in.

“While there is no clarity or doses for us now so far, we hope to resume vaccination drive at our sites as the allocation part comes under the government control,” said the official spokesperson of the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC).

These hospitals were vaccinating the elderly population at their sites. However, post-May 1, when the government of India opened the vaccination against Covid-19 for everyone above the age of 18, the immunization drive at their sites stalled as the vaccines’ supply stopped. They complained that the vaccine manufacturers favoured large and corporate hospitals over them.

“While we struggled to conduct vaccination even at our sites, the corporate hospitals went out to inoculate people at drive-throughs, in RWAs and even supplied to corporates. This was the level of share such hospitals received from the manufacturers, leaving us high and dry for jabs,” Wahaal complained.