The government said on Thursday that COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers are required to make advance declaration of the price for 50 per cent supply that would be available to the state governments and 'in other than GOI channel' before May 1.
It said that based on this price, states, private hospitals, industrial establishments may procure vaccine doses and private hospitals will procure their supplies of vaccine exclusively from the 50 per cent supply earmarked for 'other than GOI channel.'
The government said that the national vaccine strategy in phase III, which will be implemented from May 1, aims at liberalized vaccine pricing and scaling up of vaccine coverage. This would incentivize vaccine manufacturers to rapidly scale up their production, attract new vaccine manufacturers, make pricing, procurement and administration of vaccines more flexible, ensure augmented vaccine production and wider availability in the country, PIB said in tweets.
It said vaccine manufacturers would supply 50 per cent of their monthly Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) released doses to Centre and would be free to supply the remaining 50 per doses to state government and 'in the other GOI channel'.
The government said that price charged for vaccination by private hospitals would be monitored.
Vaccine will be provided free of cost to the eligible population defined earlier - healthcare workers, frontline workers and all people above 45 years of age.
"Vaccination will continue to be free for eligible population group in all those government centers receiving orders from GOI. For other than GOI channel, the eligibility will be all above the age of 18 years," it said.
The division of vaccine supply 50 per cent to the Centre and 50 per cent to other than Government of India channel would be applicable uniformly across for all vaccines manufactured in the country.
"Vaccination will follow all the existing guidelines, will be captured on CoWIN platform along with the stocks and prices per vaccination. The fully ready-to-use imported vaccine will be allowed to be utilized entirely 'in the other then GOI Channel'.
Central government, from its share, will allocate vaccines to state and UTs based of the criteria of performance and extent of infection.
"Wastage of vaccine to affect the allocation negatively. Second dose of all existing priority groups, wherever it become due, would be given on priority. The COoWin platform will be refined to reflect the features as per phase 3 vaccination strategy," the government said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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