Sputnik V Covid vaccine deal lacks clarity, transparency - Kwaku Baako Jnr
- Government has been urged to cancel the Sputnik-V vaccine deal
- Malik Kwaku Baako Jnr says due diligence was not done
- The Ministry of Health entered a deal with the private businessman in Dubai
Managing news editor of the Crusading Guide newspaper Malik Kwaku Baako Jnr has called on government to take urgent steps to abrogate the Sputnik-V vaccine deal between the Ministry of Health and a private businessman from Dubai, saying the whole deal lacks clarity and transparency.
Recent reports in the media, showed that the government has used the back door through the Ministry of Health and signed an agreement with a private businessman from Dubai to procure Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccines sidestepping regular channels and resorting to middle-men to purchase the vaccine at $26 per dose.
Source: Facebook
Speaking on JoyNews analysis program, Newsfile, Kwaku Baako says his checks suggest the agreement requiring parliament approval has not been done.
“The right thing must be done. We must abrogate this contract and reexamine it before taking any action,” he argued.
News has come out that Ghana was cited by Norwegian news portals in an investigative report for buying the Sputnik V vaccines from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).
According to the report, it was bought through some businessmen at an overpriced unit cost which was almost double the original price.
The vaccines were purchased at $19 instead of the original buying price of $10.
The Ministry of Health in a statement explained that the vaccines were bought at that price for some peculiar reasons.
The Chief Director of the Ministry, Kwabena Boadu Oku-Afari in the statement said the several efforts to get the vaccines from the Russian government proved futile and they had to resort to using middlemen.
“The Government of Ghana was unable to obtain direct supplies from the Russian Government as stated earlier, hence the resort to the market," the statement noted.
The statement further noted that the government had to rather respond to an offer from the private office of one Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the supply of 3.4 million doses at a unit cost of $19.
“It should be noted that the 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,” the statement noted
It explained that the initial price of $25 had to be negotiated downwards to $19 through efforts of the government.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
