Sputnik V: Use of middleman unjustified – Minority

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3news June 24, 2021 12:45 p.m.

Sputnik V: Use of middleman unjustified – Minority

But a statement issued by the Ministry ofHealthon Wednesday, June 9 said: “We were torn between accepting the price to enable us 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 statement signed by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Kwabena Boadu Oku-Afari, noted that the government was unable to obtain direct supplies of the vaccines from the Russian government and so had to resort to one Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the supplies.

Government will only take that decision if all avenues are closed to it.” Ghana has been cited in an investigative report in a Norwegian newspaper Vergens Gang for agreeing to procure the Sputnik V vaccines from a businessman at a unit price of $19 instead of $10.

“We state without fear of contradiction that even this transaction qualifies to be an international economic transaction within the meaning of Article 181(5) of the 1992 Constitution and therefore, failure to have parliamentary approval or better still ratification of it leaves it walking an illegal transaction per the laws of the land ,” he said.

It has assured Ghanaians that “it will endeavour to secure vaccines for the Ghanaian people, despite global shortages and cognisant of price and legal considerations”.

Yes from the beginning  we were involved but I can assure you  that it is difficult to procure  vaccines directly  from manufacturers  but whatever decision government  takes, the responsibility  is all of us.

“We will be happy to see what the opinion of of the Attorney General will be on this particular transaction but we are interested in the cost over run and the unjustified, exorbitant payment of COVID vaccines using middlemen,” he added.

The Minority in Parliament has described the Emirati and Norwegian middle men contracted by government to secure the Sputnik vaccine as imposters who are seeking to defrauding the country in the quest to procure the vaccines..

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