The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Thursday gave the final nod to a proposal of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry to procure 1.5 crores Chinese Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine.
As per the approval, the Health Services Division of the Health and Family Welfare Ministry will procure a total of 15 million (1.5 crores) vaccine doses in the next 3 months — June, July and August.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the Cabinet body meeting.
“5 million doses of vaccine will be imported from the Chinese firm each month”, Dr Shahida Aktar, Additional Secretary to the Cabinet Division, told reporters while briefing on the outcomes of the cabinet body meeting.
Earlier on May 19, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave its “in principle approval” to a proposal of the Health Services Division to import Sinofarm Covid-19 vaccine.
The CCEA also approved “in principle” procurement of Covid-19 vaccine from Russia in a meeting on April 28.
But no specific proposal regarding the quantity and the cost of the Russian Sputnik-V has yet not come to the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase, which is responsible for giving the final approval.
