31 May 2021 04:06 am
The government should explain as to why it is paying an extra $70 million (Rs.14,140 million) for the 14 million doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines purchased from China, Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa said yesterday.
Making a special statement, Mr. Premadasa said the government should disclose as to what had become of the extra funds which it has spent for the vaccines.“sri Lankan government has paid $15 per Sinopharm vaccine, but Bangladesh has paid only $10 for it. Therefore, the government has to disclose as to what happened to the extra $5 paid for each dose,” Mr. Premadasa said.
“Shortcomings on the part of the government in handling the pandemic had resulted in it becoming a great crisis. Even the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines have become a mess. There are some groups within the government that snatches the vaccines.
Sri Lanka’s vaccine programme goes back to the 19th Century. Sri Lanka has therefore earned the reputation of carrying out successful vaccination programmes and had managed to make the nation free from polio. This reputation is being tarnished today,” he said. (YOHAN PERERA)