By Ajita Rijal
Kathmandu, Mar. 17: Following the government’s decision to allow private companies to import COVID-19 vaccines, the Department of Drug Administration (DDA) on Sunday issued a notice asking interested manufacturers and their authorised importers to apply for the same within seven days.
However, that is unlikely to materialize, given that virtually all countries, including the affluent ones, have been struggling to ensure adequate supply of the vaccines even for their own citizens.
Health experts argue that though the government should shoulder the responsibility of inoculating its people, it should allow those who want to do so on their own, even if it means getting jabbed from private companies.
“It will be good if the private companies can import vaccines,” said Dr. Rabindra Pandey, a public health expert, adding, “Government is doing its best to bring in the vaccines, but if some people want to seek help from private companies, they can go ahead.”
He added that if they could manage storage facilities for the imported vaccines, it might not be a problem.
The government is about to get 1 million doses of CovishieAs many countries have been providing the vaccine for free, mass vaccination drive run by the government should continue and not hampered, even as private firms are allowed to import vaccines, said Dr. Pandey.
Dr. Shyam Raj Upreti, Coordinator of the COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee at the MoHP, said that it is the government that should take the lead in vaccinating its citizens based on their vulnerability and priority, and that next phase of vaccination would continue once the vaccines are available.
As per the DDA, only government-approved vaccines or those prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for emergency use, are allowed to be imported.
Such vaccines include: BNT162b2/COMIRNATY, Tozinameran (INN) (Pfizer–BioNTech), AZD1222 (SK BIO Oxford/AstraZeneca), Covishield (Serum Institute of India).
The DDA has asked the importers to limit their profit to 10 per cent, and to update on estimated time and doses of the vaccine.