The Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has justified government’s procurement of Sputnik-V vaccines despite concerns about the cost involved.

Government has come under intense pressure following its decision to use intermediaries to secure over five million doses of Sputnik-V vaccines at a cost of $19 instead of $10 on the international market.

The Minister of Health has equally been taken on for the procurement, with the Minority threatening to drag him before Parliament for securing the vaccines at an above-standard price.

The Juaboso MP in the Western North Region, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, who is also the Ranking Member on the Health Committee of Parliament had said action would be taken because the Ministry’s justification for securing the vaccines at an above-standard price is unacceptable and very difficult to believe.

However, Mr Agyeman-Manu, who was commenting publicly on the matter for the first time, said Ghana had no choice but to procure the vaccines at an overpriced value.

He was speaking at the launch of the Pest and Vector Control Association of Ghana in Accra and further explained, that the procurement was due to the second wave of COVID-19 which had already claimed many lives.

He said he has an obligation to try to see how he can arrive at herd immunity.

When they started looking for vaccines to procure, intermediaries were not part of their agenda.
They were looking at what they will get from COVAX.