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Private hospitals to bear the cost of booster doses for their healthcare workers

Private hospitals to bear the cost of booster doses for their healthcare workers

The Central Government has conveyed to the states that private hospitals should either provide precaution/booster doses free of cost to their healthcare workers, or may also charge for it.

Neetu Chandra Sharma
Neetu Chandra Sharma
  • Updated Jan 7, 2022 4:44 PM IST
Private hospitals to bear the cost of booster doses for their healthcare workersPrivate hospitals to bear the cost of booster doses for their healthcare workers

Private hospitals across states will have to bear the cost of precaution/booster dose for their healthcare workers, inoculation of which will commence from January 10th.  

 

The Central Government has conveyed to the states that private hospitals should either provide precaution/booster doses free of cost to their healthcare workers, or may also charge for it. 

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Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, in a letter, written to all state health secretaries, said, “The private hospitals that function as private COVID vaccination centre can vaccinate their staff (Doctors and paramedics etc) at their hospital itself. They may choose to bear the cost of vaccine doses and provide the precaution dose to their staff who are eligible and due, free of cost or they may provide such vaccination and charge for it,” Bhushan said in the letter which has been reviewed by Business Today. 

 

The private sector agreeing to the directive has started making arrangements for the same. “The healthcare workers have been provided with the COVID vaccinations, the cost for which was borne by the organisation and the same is being done for the booster doses. All measures are in pipeline to procure the vaccines and inoculate the staff,” Fortis Healthcare said in a statement. 

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However, the healthcare workers or paramedical staff, if not able to acquire vaccine for free in their hospitals, may alternatively seek free vaccination in the government COVID vaccination centres. 


“Hospitals have a choice whether to offer it free to their staff or on payment basis because it is a private endeavor and hospitals will have to buy the vaccine. In any case, vaccine is available at all government centers free of cost for everyone. So, the healthcare workers can choose to go to a government centre to get themselves vaccinated, free of cost if their own establishment is not offering it as part of their employee benefit package,” said Dr Shuchin Bajaj, Founder Director, Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals. 

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Similarly, Dr Aashish Chaudhary managing director of Aakash group of Hospitals, is also preparing to begin administration of booster doses to the staff, including doctors, nurses, and all healthcare-related personnel, in accordance with the Government's directive. “We are footing the bill for the booster doses,” he said. 

 

The number of cumulative doses administered under the national COVID vaccination program on Friday breached the 150 milestone. According to the union health ministry, over 91 per cent adult population in India has received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccines and over 66 per cent are fully vaccinated. Also, the government said that around 17 per cent of the adolescent population in the age group of 15 to 18 years of age has been vaccinated with first dose within first three days of the program started for this age group. 

Also Read: Health infrastructure to be impacted with more doctors testing COVID-19 positive, says IMA

Also Read: Budget 2022-23: CII recommends fiscal target of 6.8% of GDP, raising public healthcare investment

Published on: Jan 7, 2022 4:44 PM IST
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