Officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) agreed at a joint meeting yesterday to try to provide covid vaccines from all destinations. So, the Federation of BiH (FBiH) accepted 5.000 vaccines offered by Serbia, and Milorad Dodik said that the claims that BiH does not have the capacity to take vaccines were false.
Members of the Presidency of BiH met yesterday in Sarajevo with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers Zoran Tegeltija, and the Prime Ministers of the Republika Srpska (RS) Radovan Viskovic and the FBiH Fadil Novalic to discuss the problem of vaccines procurement.
”It is obvious that BiH has done all to procure vaccines through COVAX mechanism. It is not true that BiH cannot accept and store vaccines. I have to admit that they are still within the framework of the contract because we did not have enough information back then, ” said Milorad Dodik, the chairman of the Presidency of BiH.
At a joint meeting, we agreed that the Council of Ministers will exempt all vaccines that come to BiH at any level from paying VAT. Aleksandar Vucic offered 5.000 vaccines for the FBiH. That offer was accepted. It was agreed to negotiate with all vaccine manufacturers and to try to provide vaccines from all destinations, as it is possible, through state or other levels.
It was stated that RS will get 20.000 vaccines during the weekend.
It is less than agreed delivery. We will continue to talk to other manufacturers as well. In my opinion, this was a good and productive meeting and an agreement was reached when it comes to the procurement of vaccines.
Member of BiH Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic commented that this country had been betrayed by the COVAX mechanism and that this was inappropriate.
He pointed out that the Presidency of BiH does not have any operational competencies for the procurement of vaccines.
“We held today’s meeting to see what the problem is. It is unsustainable that BiH, and especially FBiH, has not yet received vaccines, ” he told yesterday, adding that the Council of Ministers had done everything, but that the COVAX mechanism had failed BiH.
He assumes that some different ways of purchasing and even distributing vaccines have probably emerged within COVAX because their price on the world market is increasing.
“There is no dilemma, BiH must procure those vaccines, we can no longer endure this, wait and postpone vaccination,” he said.
The main opinion is that health workers who work with the sick, as well as the elderly in nursing homes should be vaccinated first.
BiH Presidency Member Zeljko Komsic addressed the press after the meeting in the BiH Presidency, and also about the procurement of vaccines against coronavirus, BHRT writes.
