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Nana Ayew Afriyie, the chairman of Parliament’s select committee on health, has dismissed claims that the government is procuring Sputnik V vaccines from Russia at almost double the original price.
A Norwegian newspaper, VG, reported that Ghana is buying Sputnik V vaccines from Russia which originally cost US$10 per dose at $19.
The Minority in Parliament had earlier requested a bipartisan probe into the allegations. VG reported that Ghana’s Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, signed the contract with an Emirati official who was involved in the sale of gas turbines to Ghana in the controversial Ameri deal and another individual, a wanted Norwegian citizen.
Free agents
However, reacting to the report, Dr Afriyie said the government has opened its doors to middlemen and agents to procure and deliver vaccines, which is in line with the Russian government’s arrangements.
“Unlike the AstraZeneca which is more of a government-to-government system, the Russians use more of middlemen or third parties to be able to do transactions. So what the governments do is to give you letters of authorisation and then you go ahead to strike a deal with them.
“So, as far as it is, about seven companies have letters and various prices ranging between $12 and $19.
“So, if the impression is created as if it’s only one company and it’s created as if it’s $19, the other question is: what happens to the other people who quoted $12 or lower than $19? And who for some reasons, all of them have not been able to deliver?” Dr Afriyie told the media.
Listen to excerpt of his press briefing in the audio file attached:
Ghana expecting 300,000 doses of Sputnik V
Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo says that the government is expecting an additional 300,000 doses of Sputnik V to arrive in Ghana.
Delivering his 25th address to the nation on measures that the government is taking to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, he said: “We are expecting an additional 300,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccines, which have already been approved by the Food and Drugs Authority … to arrive in the country.
“As and when we make further progress in the acquisition of vaccines, the Ministries of Health and Information will make this known to you. We are making all efforts to achieve our overall vaccination target.”
Ghana has already taken delivery of 350,000 more doses of the AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine from the Democratic Republic of Congo through the COVAX initiative.
The vaccines form part of 1.3 million doses out of the 1.7 million doses being redistributed by the United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, to Angola, the Comoros, Ghana and Senegal.
Source: Asaaseradio
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