SII must return money if they fail to deliver vaccines: Health minister
Health Minister Zahid Maleque today said the money paid to Serum Institute of India (SII) will have to be returned to Bangladesh if they fail to deliver Covid-19 vaccines according to the agreement.
He made the remarks while talking to media at the Secretariat.
Bangladesh has spent more than Tk600 crore to buy 30 million Covid-19 vaccines from India. However, only seven million vaccines have come from India.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"Bangladesh is yet to receive 23 million vaccines as per the order placed to India. We are still waiting," said the minister.
He added that the government is in touch with SII and Beximco. "They have been assuring us that we will get the vaccines."
"If we do not get (remaining) vaccines then our money must be brought back. We haven't given up hope," said Zahid Maleque.
Bangladesh was supposed to get five million doses of vaccine per month as the SII and Bangladesh's Beximco Pharma signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for priority delivery of the vaccine doses.
In January, five million Covid-19 vaccines were sent in the first shipment from SII. However, after sending two million dosages in February, they could no longer continue the supply due to the Indian government's ban on vaccine exports.
Bangladesh also received 3.3 million doses of vaccine as a bilateral partnership gift.
