The Minister for Health, Kweku Agyeman Manu, has assured that government is still sticking to its initial plan of vaccinating 20 million persons by the end of October, 2021.
Speaking in an interview, the Minister averred that the plan will come to fruition depending on the vaccine procurement from the producers.
“With communication and what we are getting through now, we will be able to do that but that is still based on moves being shifted from sources where we are expecting these vaccines to come through.”
Mr. Agyeman Manu
In the quest to achieve this, Mr. Agyeman Manu disclosed that the Ministry has registered with;the African Medicine Supply platform in order to secure some 12 million doses of Johnson and Johnson vaccines. He also noted that the Food And Drugs Authority (FDA) has approved the use of Johnson and Johnson vaccines,;giving the Ministry the approval to use it when it arrives.
Aside the African Union quantities, Mr Agyeman Manu indicated that they are also expecting some from the COVAX facility. He disclosed India is likely to ease their export restriction by end of July. And between August and September the nation will be expecting some vaccines.
“Apart from that,;COVAX itself has set up some slots that they are going to provide for countries that need these vaccines. We have also applied and registered with that so that when it comes, we will take delivery.
“We believe that with all these in place, by October, we should be able to have done the 20 million.”
Mr. Agyeman Manu
Good pricing assured
The Health Minister was of the view that there will be some form of good pricing with the new vaccines being procured since the African Union is spearheading the negotiations.
“Just like COVAX,;they are doing bulk procurement and therefore since they are getting numerous vaccines, the range the manufacturers will give them will be moderate.”
Mr. Agyeman Manu
Touching on the recent issues of government trying to procure the vaccines at $19 instead of $10,;he revealed that it is due to negotiations ongoing in the supply market.
Mr. Agyeman Manu said after the first negotiation there were myriads of persons and companies coming to the ministry to help them engage properly with suppliers and procure vaccines.
He further posited that after the realization that the Covashield vaccines will delay, he made frantic efforts to get vaccines to get back from the break in the vaccination exercise.
“We have a challenge and actually what we didn’t want to do is to come out and announce to Ghanaians that we have a challenge with procuring vaccines.”
“It wasn’t a deliberate action to shy away from giving information to the public. During COVID we procured several things, some of them overpriced. I mean the ventilators that we bought, the quotations that we were getting from the world market were outrageous. Other items for fighting against the virus was overpriced because of scarcity.”
Mr. Agyeman Manu
Attempt to secure vaccines at $19 not a rip off
Prior to this, the Ministry of Health stated that attempts by government to secure Sputnik V Vaccines at a unit cost of US$19 is not a rip off as being suggested in some quarters.
The explanation follows a Norwegian newspaper (VG) report suggesting that Ghana is buying Sputnik V Vaccines from Russia twice the price.
A statement issued and signed by Kwabena Boadu Oku-Afari, Chief Director of the Health Ministry, said the US$10 a dose is rather the ex-factory price, which is only obtained from Government-to-Government arrangement. october
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