Legal action needs to be initiated against private hospitals that are giving packages for COVID-19 vaccination in collaboration with luxury hotels, a move that violates guidelines, the central government on Saturday said. 

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in a letter to states and union territories, directed concerned authorities to monitor and asked to ensure that guidelines are followed during the national COVID-19 vaccination drive. 

The union health ministry said that “necessary legal and administrative actions should be initiated against such institutions,” where vaccination is carried out in violation of the guidelines. 

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Vaccination against COVID-19 can be carried out at “government and private COVID vaccination centres; workplaces, near to home COVID vaccination centre for elderly and differently-abled persons to be organised at group housing societies; RWA offices, community centres, panchayat bhawans, school and colleges, old age homes etc on a temporary basis,” the union health ministry said. 

“Necessary legal and administrative actions should be initiated against such institutions. Therefore, you are also requested to monitor and ensure that National Covid Vaccination drive is carried out as per the prescribed guidelines,” the ministry said in the letter. 

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Recently, luxury hotels giving packages for COVID-19 vaccination have been receiving flak on social media.

The Centre’s letter also comes a day after Delhi Deputy Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday lashed out at the union government for “sitting on” the vaccine distribution system. He asked “how private hospitals were getting the doses if centre does not have enough stocks for states”.