Health ignores opinion and the country could have already received 20 million syringes, says the newspaper

01/14/2021 Brazil, Health, World

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Health ignores opinion and the country could have already received 20 million syringes, says the newspaper

Syringes and doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19, on January 8, 2021 at the Nouvel Hopital Civil de Strasbourg, France – AFP

OR Ministry of Health ignored an opinion from the folder itself recommending to buy syringes with faster air cargo delivery, to ensure that the country had enough inputs to make vaccination against COVID-19. The information is from the newspaper O Globo.

In negotiations with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for the purchase of products, the Department of Immunizations and Communicable Diseases of the body defended the purchase of syringes delivered by air, although at a higher price, arguing that the Brazilian market could not supply the demand of the National Immunization Program (PNI) in the estimated time.

Despite the warning, the executive secretary of the Ministry of Health, led by Army officer Elcio Franco, decided to ignore the department’s recommendations “although aware of the differences in delivery times.” This is what the documents obtained by Globo through the Access to Information Law indicate.

According to the documents, the forecast for the arrival of the first shipment of deliveries to the country by sea is on January 25, with 1.9 million units. After that, the next installment would only happen in March. If the purchase were made by air freight, Brazil would have already received 20 million syringes in December last year.

In an internal dispatch on September 16, the department argued that the acquisition of syringes by air was “strategic” with a view to delivering doses of the vaccine by January 2021, since, according to the document, the Brazilian industry has since reported . February 2020 difficulties to supply the necessary quantities to the National Immunization Plan in a short time.

“Listed suppliers may begin to deliver 20 million units in December 2020, 17,256 million units in January 2021 and 2,744 million units in February 2021 for a total value of US $ 4,679,406.76 (four million, six hundred seventy-nine thousand four hundred six dollars and seventy-six cents), including the prices of the products, freight, insurance and administrative expenses of the Organization. That said, this Department is in favor of continuing with this acquisition, considering the risk of non-delivery of syringes by the national market until December 2020, ”says the internal office of the Ministry that defends the acquisition of syringes by air freight.

On December 23, more than a month after receiving the opinion of the immunization department, in an order signed by the executive undersecretary, Jorge Luiz Korman, the secretariat questions the prices of the purchase of supplies by plane and determines a new quote, arguing that the price offered by Opas is much higher than that provided by the government.

“Taking into account today’s price in dollars of R $ 5.62 (five reais and sixty-two cents), the price of the possible contracting via OPS presents a difference of more than 250% with respect to the highest survey price SRP preliminary and around 500% higher than the lowest price of the same survey, in each unit of syringe / needle, ”says the dispatch.

According to the report, the executive secretary of the Ministry of Health expected to be able to buy 331.2 million syringes in December, but only got 7.9 million.

Days later, PAHO sent a letter to the Brazilian government demanding a definition of the purchase of syringes, indicating that the country had the resources to make the purchase.

“[…] We would like to request confirmation from this Ministry regarding the purchase. In addition, we inform that Brazil has approximately US $ 3.1 million in the Revolving Fund account, in addition to the credit line that can be made available to the country. We await the manifestation of this Ministry, through a letter indicating the source of financing, so that we can proceed with the purchase ”, says Opas.

The government bet that the vaccine would arrive only in 2021

About a month after Opas asked if the purchase of syringes would be closed, the Ministry of Health opted for a delay in making the vaccines available and sent a letter to the organization arguing that “the scenario for the acquisition of the vaccine to combat Covid-19 changed ”, justifying the option by sea.

“There was information from the PNI that the vaccine will arrive in Brazil only in the first quarter of 2021. The maritime modal option is shown, in general, as a cheaper option for shipping cargo in international trade. Thus, it is expected that, with this new price estimate, the total investment in this acquisition will decrease, allowing the Executive Secretary to analyze this aspect from a more favorable perspective from the financial point of view, by agreeing to purchase inputs through PAHO / WHO, although they are aware of the differences in delivery times, ”says the letter that confirms that the government knew that the syringes could arrive later.

The report of the newspaper O Globo questioned the Ministry of Health about the option of longer freight, at the risk of jeopardizing the immunization plan, for having closed a purchase of the syringes with a date initially scheduled for the first batch to arrive alone in March. , and also on the delay in responding to PAHO, but there was no response from the portfolio.

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Health ignores opinion and the country could have already received 20 million syringes, says the newspaper

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