Government has amended the price at which it is buying Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines from supplier, S. L. Global Limited.
In an amended agreement sighted by Myjoyonline.com, the Health Ministry has agreed to pay $18.5 per dose instead of the original price of $26.
Under the agreement, the Ghanaian-owned company, serving as the intermediary, is required to deliver the five million vaccines in batches; one million doses each month until the fifth month.
Earlier, the Minority in Parliament attacked government for purchasing the newly developed vaccine at an ‘outrageous’ amount when the manufacturers are charging $10 per dose.
They claimed that government is being ripped off, thus, has called for a thorough investigation into the matter.
But government has debunked the assertion.
Also, the Chairman of Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr Nana Ayew Afriyie, dispelled claims that the government has been swindled in the deal to procure the Sputnik-V Covid-19 vaccine.
He argued that producers of the vaccine do not deal directly with government, thus necessitating the use of middlemen, which has caused an increase in the factory price of $10 per dose.
With this in mind, Dr Afriyie argued that concerns being raised about the ‘abnormal’ price is misplaced since government is doing its best to acquire the newly developed vaccine that will save the country and the citizens from the deadly pandemic.
“We have not been swindled as a State. Though we are in a desperate state to get vaccines, the policy of the government, which is a very good one, is to get business persons to go into the Sputnik V space.
“Yes, the factory price is US$10 but when you get expatriates, and it gets out of the factory, a lot of factors come in, including the profit, commission and freight to Ghana. So you don’t expect a vaccine that costs US$10 at the factory to be the same price when it arrives in Ghana, especially when a middleman is getting it,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation has warned government against engaging suspicious middlemen in its desperate bid to secure vaccines.
“We have received similar concerns regarding other vaccines with intermediates selling it at a much higher price than what is being sold by the manufacturers. There is a lot of substandard and falsified Covid-19 products being commercialised out there. So contact the manufacturers to make sure that the intermediary is legal,” the WHO representative said.