India is among the few countries in the world which is charging its citizens for the Covid jab, not just that, reports indicate the cost of vaccines being administered by private hospitals in India, is among the costliest as well.
According to a Times of India report, the cost of vaccines in the private sector has increased six-fold. Private hospitals are now charging between ₹1,250-1,500 for Covaxin and ₹700-900 for Covishield. As per the CoWIN website, the major share of inoculation in the private sector is being done by four big corporates: Apollo, Max, Fortis and Manipal.
Initially, the Centre was procuring both jabs at ₹150 each and distributing them to states and private hospitals. The new vaccine policy opening up jabs to free market pricing, is creating an inequity, as sale of vaccines to private players at a higher cost is more beneficial for the vaccine makers.
BharatBiotech is charging ₹1,200 per dose of Covaxin for private hospitals while Serum Insititue of India has capped the price at ₹600. Both the figures are double the amount quoted for the state governments.
States and smaller hospitals are now struggling with procurement of the jabs. Experts say that even within the private sector, it is just a small section of corporate hospitals which are being favoured, and the new vaccine policy is going to make universal vaccination more difficult.