The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday submitted the required paperwork associated to the nationwide authorities’s COVID-19 vaccine procurement to the Commission on Audit (COA).
DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire personally offered the paperwork to COA amid the difficulty that the Health division is allegedly refusing to launch the main points of the vaccine procurement contracts as a result of its non-disclosure agreements (NDA) with suppliers.
“Handa pong harapin ng Kagawaran ng Kalusugan ang anumang katanungan ukol sa ating vaccine procurement sapagkat kampante tayo na lahat ng mga prosesong isinagawa ng ating pamahalaaan sa pagbili ng mga bakuna upang maprotektahan ang ating mga kababayan ay nakaayon sa batas,” Vergeire stated.
(The Department of Health is able to face any query relating to our vaccine procurement as a result of we’re assured that each one the processes carried out by our authorities within the buy of vaccines to guard our residents are in accordance with the regulation.)
She additionally confused that the DOH’s COVID-19 vaccination program won’t be hampered by the difficulty.
In a Senate blue ribbon committee listening to on Wednesday, committee chairperson Senator Francis Tolentino pressed the DOH to supply a date when they are going to submit the paperwork that can permit the COA to start out the audit on the vaccine procurement. Vergeire then dedicated that they might submit the paperwork on Thursday.
According to COA chairman Gamaliel Cordoba, the World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have additionally requested a particular audit on the loans they granted the Philippine authorities for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.
In return, Cordoba dedicated to make sure a whole audit of the general public funds used for the vaccine procurements.
DOH earlier stated it despatched the letter to COA requesting the particular audit, and selected COA to be its auditing agency within the agreements.
Vergeire had defined that in October 2021, they communicated with the vaccine producers corresponding to Pfizer, Astrazeneca, Moderna, Sinovac, amongst others, to hunt their permission for the DOH to reveal the data to COA in addition to the Senate.
The DOH official stated Pfizer allowed them to reveal the main points to COA however the state audit company should additionally uphold the confidentiality settlement.
Vergeire stated they weren’t capable of give the paperwork to COA because the latter acknowledged that they aren’t lined by confidentiality settlement as a result of it was entered into solely by the DOH and the producer.
Meanwhile, Vegeire stated Sinovac didn’t permit the DOH to reveal the specifics of their contract with the federal government, particularly the pricing info of the vaccines.
On the opposite hand, Astrazeneca allowed the DOH to reveal the data however it needs to be divulged discreetly.
For the second time, Vergeire stated they wrote to the vaccine producers for the aim of the Blue Ribbon listening to however solely Pfizer and Astrazeneca responded.
Pfizer allowed the DOH to reveal the data by means of an govt session whereas Astrazeneca stated they’re very prepared to reveal the data.—AOL, GMA Integrated News
