Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to repeal the federal government’s policy under which it had allowed the private sector to import Coronavirus vaccine.
In an official letter to PM, Chairperson TIP, Justice (r) Nasira Iqbal, penned that governments across the world are procuring COVID-19 vaccines and administering it to their citizens free of cost as it is the responsibility of the state.
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Chairperson TIP highlighted that Pakistan was one of the first countries which allowed the private sector to import and sell Coronavirus vaccines, adding that the government’s move will provide a window of corruption as there are possibilities that the government’s vaccines may be sold to private hospitals.
The letter states that AGP Limited, a Karachi-based pharmaceutical company, imported the first batch of Russian Coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, consisting of 50,000 doses last week.
Globally, the two-dose Sputnik V vaccine is available at a cost of $20 which is approximately Rs. 3,000. However, the federal government fixed the price of the two-dose Sputnik V at Rs. 8,449, which is 160% higher than its international price.
Considering the international rate and taking into account the currency value system, Chairperson TIP has recommended PM Imran to revise the price of the two-dose Sputnik and set it at Rs. 3,000.
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It is worth mentioning here that AGP Limited, the sole distributor of Sputnik V in Pakistan, has already refused to sell the Russian vaccine at the retail price fixed by the federal government.
The Karachi-based company has warned to export all of the 50,000 doses of the Russian Coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, in case the government fails to revise and increase the retail price of the vaccine.
