Bangladesh to buy 1.5 crore doses of vaccine from China at lower price

The government is going to buy 1.5 crore doses of Sinopharm vaccine from China at a lower price than mentioned in the previous agreement.

 

A proposal in this regard was approved today during a virtual meeting of the Cabinet Committee -- chaired by Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal -- regarding government procurement, according to a statement issued by the finance ministry.

 

The minister said a total of 15 million doses -- the remaining 13 million from the previous agreement with Sinopharm and two million newly proposed -- will be purchased at a lower price than previously agreed.

 

The minister, however, said that the prices will remain undisclosed due to strategic reasons.

 

When asked about the price, he said, "If you (journalists) ask me the price, we may face problems. These are selective purchases. For technical reasons, we cannot tell you in detail. I believe you will understand the situation."

 

When asked how many days it will take for the vaccines to arrive, the minister assured that everything is done, including vetting from the law ministry, but the concerned ministry can inform about details on the arrival.

 

The finance ministry said the approval was given to purchase more of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccines if needed.

 

On July 1 and 2, Bangladesh received 20 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine from the procured 1.5 crore vaccines. Apart from the procured lot, Bangladesh received 11 lakh doses of the same vaccine in two phases as gift from China.