India — As a social media post of a famous hotel chain offering a vaccination package in Hyderabad’s Hitec city went viral on social media with several political leaders pointing out the disparity in the vaccine situation of the country, the Union health ministry clarified that this is not allowed and legal and administrative action will be taken against such hotels and private hospitals agreeing to sell the vaccines.
In a letter addressed to all states and Union territories, the health ministry reiterated that four avenues for vaccination are permitted – government Covid vaccination centres, private centres run by private hospitals, workplace Covid vaccination centres run by either government or private hospitals, and special centres at housing societies, community centres, panchayat bhawans, schools/colleges, old age homes only for elderly and disabled.
Apart from this, there are no other avenues to carry out vaccination under the national Covid vaccination programme. All such programmes being carried out in star hotels need to be stopped immediately, the Centre said.
The advertisement which went viral on social media announced a vaccine package starting at Rs.2,999 including a comfortable stay, vaccination by experts from a renowned hospital, a healthy breakfast and dinner, on-request clinical consultation and Wi-Fi. AAP leader Raghav Chadha shared one such post and said the central government has facilitated such a vaccination package by ensuring a steady supply to private hospitals, while state-run centres which offer free vaccination have no stock.