Be open about vaccine deals, says Zaid

[superadmin]

PETALING JAYA: A former minister has called for transparency about vaccine procurement agreements, saying openness would allay suspicion of supply being throttled to create a monopoly.

Zaid Ibrahim, a former minister for law, said Malaysia was struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic, having vaccinated only 4% of its population.

“Our government is clearly out of its depth,” he said.

“The lack of transparency over vaccine agreements gives rise to suspicion that supply is being throttled to create a monopoly and keep pricing unnaturally high. This is why the government needs to disclose details of the agreements entered into with manufacturers.”


Zaid questioned the conditions laid down by the federal government when it announced on June 3 that state governments and private hospitals could now purchase vaccines.

He said the requirement for approval from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) was unnecessary.

“There is no need for mindless bureaucracy, since the potential purchasers would be the states themselves and hospitals which are already duly licensed to provide healthcare.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) and world-leading regulatory bodies such as the Federal Drug Agency (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have already approved under emergency authorisation several vaccines, including those by Moderna, Sinopharm, and Johnson & Johnson.


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