Staff Reporter :
There is a difference of about Tk 22 thousand crore between the government and the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on spending over Covid-19 vaccines.
TIB said in its observation on Tuesday, there is lack of transparency in the government’s spending on Covid-19 vaccines. Authorities were unable to supply details of some Tk23,000 crore used in the purchase and management of the jabs, TIB claimed during a virtual presentation of its latest study titled “Governance Challenges in Tackling Covid-19 Crisis: Inclusion and Transparency.”
TIB said that it collected the data between August 2021 and March 2022.
Bangladesh received total 296.4 million doses of Covid jabs till 31 March 2022.
The purchase price of the shots and the estimated total cost of vaccination-related activities amount to Tk129,930 to Tk167,210 million.
TIB said that the figure is less than half of the amount provided by the health minister.
Earlier in July 2021, a briefing from the Ministry of Health said that they had to spend Tk 3,000 only per vaccine.
Meanwhile, the government spent about Tk400 billion on its vaccination efforts – as per the statement of the health minister Zahid Maleque on 10 March.
TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzamanm said in the programme,”There was a lack of transparency in the vaccine procurement and management procedure. Bangladesh had a nondisclosure agreement with only one country. But the prices of vaccines procured from other sources were not made public. and management procedure. Bangladesh had a nondisclosure agreement with only one country. But the prices of vaccines procured from other sources were not made public.
He said, “The health minister did not provide any information regarding the cost of the vaccination programme. The amount stated by the health minister is half of the actual expenditure.”
Besides, some 3.7pc of patients received treatment from home, as they could not afford to go to the hospitals.
The anti-corruption watchdog states that about 26.5pc of the people received services from private hospitals due to the inadequacy medical services in government hospitals, which intensified their financial afflictions.
TIB also said that lack of motivation and publicity activities in areas with marginalized people as nearly half of them who took part in the TIB survey said that they did not receive the vaccine or decided not to get vaccinated due to a lack of information about the government inoculation efforts.
TIB said also that the difference between the first and second doses is greater in Bangladesh as there is no clear idea about the date and benefits of the second shot.
While the World Health Organization (WHO) stated to ensure equal access for all without being financially burdened, the distance to the vaccination centre, the complicated registration process, and the cost made it difficult for people in remote and inaccessible areas to get vaccinated, TIB said.
About 76.4pc of the people did not know how to register for their jabs online, TIB said.
The total cost of travel and registration for vaccination is on average is Tk108 – a number greater than the daily income of those living below the poverty line, TIB said.
The TIB recommends for a more inclusive, cost-effective, efficient and discrimination-free Covid-19 management systems.
