According to the Ministry, there is no hint of corruption as it isn’t being alleged in the vaccines procurement.
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There are no shady dealings in our purchase of Sputnik COVID-19 vaccines - Health Ministry
The Ministry of Health has scoffed off at reports that its purchase of the Sputnik COVID-19 vaccines is a rip off on the state.
Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Health Minister-designate
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In a statement copied to the media, the Ministry said the government bought the vaccines from the open market and not directly from the Russian manufacturers.
“It should be noted that US$ 10 price per dose which is being proposed as the correct price, is the ex-factory price which is only obtained from government to government arrangements. Government of Ghana was unable to obtain direct supplies from the Russian government as stated earlier, hence the resort to the market,” a statement signed by the Chief Director of the GHS, Kwabena Boadu Oku Afari said.
The initial price quoted for the vaccine was US$25, but it was negotiated downwards to US$19, according to the GHS.
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The GHS explained that at the time of negotiating for the deal, “there was scarcity or non-availability of the vaccines on the market.”
Sputnik-V vaccine
Pulse Ghana
“Ghana had also been informed by COVAX that the Astrazeneca vaccines would not arrive till the end of June 2021, so we were operating severely in the suppliers’ market. We were torn between accepting the price to enable us to have access to the vaccine or facing the situation of the seller withdrawing from the negotiations to the extent that the 15,000 doses that had been shipped to Ghana were going to be rerouted to other countries,” the GHS added.
A Norweigian news tabloid, Verdens Gang had reported that Ghana has requested to purchase 3.4 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine through two businessmen who are selling it to Ghana at $19 per dose instead of the $10 per dose on the international market.
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