Status of vaccine procurement by pvt vaccination centres worrying: Centre

Union Health Ministry on Wednesday reviewed the status and the progress of vaccine procurement by private COVID vaccination centres.

The review meeting was chaired by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan. Health Secretaries and senior immunization officials of 15 States/ UTs, namely Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana attended the meeting.

Representatives from the two Covid vaccine manufacturers, Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India, were also present.

States were, once again, informed about the usage of the Co-WIN platform as the backend management tool for order placements.

The Union Health Secretary termed the slow pace of vaccination through the Private Covid Vaccination Centres (PCVCs) as a 'cause of serious worry'.

He also highlighted the areas of concern and gave his suggestions for the same.

Mentioning the slow pace of vaccination in private centres, the centre advised the states to review status and progress on vaccine procurement by them on a daily basis.

The centre has organized five regional workshops to orient nodal officers of the states and private centers for placing orders on Co-Win and the payment for the quantum of doses.