Ensure Fair Deal In Vaccinating Citizens

Namrata Sharma

As the private sector is bidding tenders to purchase the COVID-19 vaccines, a lot of concern and speculations are surfacing on how corruption rackets will be exposed in the already prevalent commission system in Nepal. There have been several incidents where the Nepali term chal khel or underhand dealings in giving tenders on the basis of commission have been exposed. The country is now engulfed in speculations on corrupt practices in the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines.
According to UN Office on Drugs and Crime, corruption risks can be found throughout the procurement cycle. During pre-bidding phase inaccurate estimation of demand and deliberate tailoring of tender documents to favour a particular bidder, during bidding phase there is risk of officials receiving bribes or kickbacks as well as risk of collusion and market division between bidders themselves. Especially when the urgency is imposed by pandemics these networks have a chance of getting off scot-free. During post-bidding phase corruption risks include false invoicing, changing contract agreements, and failure to deliver procured vaccines.
“We have decided not to bid for the COVID-19 vaccines” says Prithvi Raj Vaidya, Managing Director of Yetichem Distributors Pvt. Limited. He explained that if the government could not get the delivery of the vaccines from Serum Institute of India as per their agreement, it will be a herculean task for private companies to get the reasonably cheap deliveries of the vaccines on time. He added that the Nepal Government was getting the vaccines at US$ 4 per dose, whereas it is speculated that for the private sector it could be anywhere between US$ 8-15 per dose. Therefore, as soon as the private sector is involved, the cost will go higher as they cannot deliver the medications by incurring losses.

Cold chain
The other point that Vaidya mentioned is that a proper cold chain is required during the transportation of the vaccines, and only two pharmaceutical companies in Nepal have validated cold rooms that can maintain it. These two companies with validated cold rooms are Yetichem Distributors Pvt. Limited and Prime Biopharma. Although they have the required infrastructure, Vaidya says that he feels it will be best for the government to purchase the vaccines as that will cut the costs and it will be easier for Nepali citizens to be vaccinated. If the private sector is to be involved they should just be a means to get the vaccines into the country and sell it to the government who should then distribute it freely to all citizens, says Dr. Sharad Onta, a public health expert.
According to WHO, Nepal was one of the first countries in Asia to receive the COVID-19 vaccines. The inoculation of citizens in Nepal commenced in January 2021. The Nepal government actually did a commendable job by first targeting the frontline workers and then the senior citizens and people within the age group of 18-59. For some reason the people within the age group of 60-65 have been missed out so far, and they should be vaccinated immediately.
However, now the government has announced its intention to involve the private sector in the purchase and supply of COVID-19 vaccines. For those who can afford, it is all right but what about the majority of the people who are now struggling for one decent meal a day? Together with the involvement of the private sector, the vicious cycle of commission and corruption is emerging, which is a shame in the face of humanity.
The world is now in a situation where countries are in extreme pressure to secure vaccines and deliver them to the citizens. This is also the time where corruption poses serious risks to equitable access to the vaccines and treatments. There needs to be full transparency over the development, procurement, allocation, and distribution of vaccines.
According to the Transparency International, high income countries have purchased more than half the supply of COVID-19 vaccines while low-income countries have been largely left behind. With limited supply and high demand, wealthier countries are paying more to guarantee access to COVID -19 vaccines for their own citizens at the expense of the developing countries with fewer resources. Only 14 per cent of the world’s COVID-19 vaccines have been purchased by COVAX, a global initiative to provide fair and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. COVAX harnesses collective buying power to purchase vaccines and distribute them to developing countries who cannot compete with the rich countries in purchasing vaccines. Nepal received its first doses of vaccines via this COVAX initiative and Chinese vaccines via the Chinese government support.

Fair distribution
Vaccines should be provided in an equitable manner globally. However, as we know, life is far from fair to all. The wealthy and influential people get access to the best services. Therefore, as the government moves forward with the involvement of the private sector in purchasing vaccines to Nepal, this needs to be addressed. The only solution is to let the private sector bring the medicine and sell it to the government which should then administer the vaccines to all the citizens.
Instances show that even during the pandemic, corrupt mindset prevails. COVID- 19 vaccines are also target of such people. Therefore, a free and fair distribution plan with a check on the vaccines from being hijacked or falling under corrupt people’s control is the need of today.

(Sharma is a senior journalist and women rights advocate. namrata1964@yahoo.com Twitter handle: NamrataSharmaP)