Private hospitals will be involved in the coronavirus vaccination campaign launched nationwide, the health minister has said.
Zahid Maleque made the announcement in a seminar, titled ‘National Covid-19 Vaccination: Involvement of Private Sector’ at Bangladesh Private Medical College Association or BPMCA on Wednesday.
Leaders of the private health sector demanded at the seminar that the government involve privately owned hospitals in the nationwide immunisation programme.
“You wish to be involved the way you joined (public ventures) in testing and treatment. We are taking proper steps to make this happen. We hope you will be able to join the vaccination campaign with the approval of the prime minister,” Maleque said.
He said the process would begin once the formalities and conditions to make it happen were met.
“The private sector is responsible for 60 per cent of the health services. So why should they be left out? They will get involved in everything and we will facilitate the process.”
MA Mubin Khan, president of Bangladesh Private Medical College Association (BPMCA), urged the government to initially sell one million vaccine doses to the private hospitals.
The government will give the approval and fix the vaccination fees for the private hospitals.
Private hospitals carry out COVID-19 sample testing for a fee. As for the vaccine, people would have the choice to opt for free vaccination from the government or pay fees for inoculation from private hospitals.