Odisha Urges Centre For Higher Share Of COVID Vaccine To Govt

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has requested the Centre to revise the ratio of vaccine allotment for government and private facilities in view of the low presence of private health care sector in the state.

In a letter to the Secretary of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, PK Mohapatra sought an increase in Odisha government’s share of COVID vaccine to 95 per cent and allocation of 5 per cent to private hospitals in the state from the present 75:25 ratio.

The Centre had revised guidelines for implementation of COVID Vaccination Programme on June 8 and it will come into effect from June 21 across the country.

The guidelines mention that 25 per cent of monthly production of vaccines by domestic manufacturers can be directly procured by private hospitals.

Till date, only four private hospitals in Odisha have been able to procure vaccines directly from the manufacturers, Mohapatra stated in the letter.

“You are aware that in Odisha the presence of private hospitals is very low and limited to only about 5 per cent of the total health care sector in the State, hence it is apprehended that as per the existing guidelines, Odisha will lose out on its proportionate share of 25 per cent allocation of vaccines to the private sector,” he stated in the letter.

The share of the private sector may be handed to the State Government for subsequent mobilisation and allocation to private hospitals, the letter read.