Additional 29 private hospitals in Mumbai to run Covid-19 vaccination drive

Twenty-nine private hospitals in Mumbai have been given permission by the Centre to run the Covid-19 vaccination drive.

According to the local authorities, these 29 hospitals fulfill all criteria prescribed by the government of India to be designated as Covid Vaccination Centre (CVC).

This comes a day after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation decided to open all 22 public hospitals in Mumbai for the Covid-19 vaccination drive. The drive will cater to people who are aged above 45 with co-morbidities and senior citizens.

Granting permission to the state to expand the Covid-19 vaccination drive, Vandana Gurnani, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission, said in an official statement: “I would like to inform you that the matter has been examined by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.”

She added: “You may proceed with these 29 hospitals which are not empaneled in PMJAY, CGHS, or State Health Insurance Scheme and have shown to be a part of Covid-19 vaccination drive, as CVCs after due assessment by the state.”

“I am hopeful that by expanding to these 29 CVCs (list enclosed), the COVID-19 vaccination drive in the State will get the desired thrust thereby covering the eligible beneficiaries in the minimum time frame,” she further noted in the letter.

Meanwhile, Mumbai recorded only two Covid-19 fatalities, the lowest in the last 10 months, on Tuesday. This took the total death count to 11,476. While the Covid-19 infection caseload increased to 3,27,619 with 849 new infections reported in the financial capital, according to the BMC.