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The NSK meeting was attended by the Prime Minister, the President of the Seimas, the heads of the Seimas Committees on Foreign Relations, Health, Law and Order, members of the Cabinet of Ministers, as well as representatives of the institutions in charge of law enforcement. and the Presidency.
By unanimous decision, the members of the commission approved the purchase of a possible vaccine through the joint procurement mechanism of the European Commission (EC), diversifying purchases from different manufacturers selected by the EC and with whom advance agreements were concluded for purchase and sale of vaccines. It was decided to opt for the maximum purchase option when the Government will comment on each contract under which possible vaccines are purchased.
“We will not risk it or try to guess which of the leading clinical trial companies in particular will develop the vaccine, which will substantially reduce the risk of infection, more severe forms of coronavirus and will be a distributor of the virus. If we do that, we may run out of vaccine, which would be a real tragedy for Lithuania, ”says Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis.
It highlights that the conditions for the purchase of vaccines are as follows: they are harmonized by the EC and their margin of exchange is extremely limited. Therefore, at this stage, each buyer country runs the risk of buying too many vaccines or losing some of the money paid. On the other hand, the contracting of the EC guarantees its transparency and credibility.
“Today no one will say which of the seven companies with which the EC has already reached preliminary agreements will be successful first. Therefore, we will conclude order contracts with them for all. Contracts that satisfy at least most of our needs. As soon as the vaccine is tested, we will try to obtain it as soon as possible. We will definitely not be “experimental rabbits”, we will only allow safe vaccines that have been investigated by scientists and evaluated by the European Medicines Agency “, says the Head of Government.
Remember that each life of the state with the COVID-19 virus costs Lithuania, as well as other countries, not only a lot of money, but also the long-term health of patients and, unfortunately, lives. Therefore, in this case, the main criterion for NSK’s decision was far from price.
“Even if we paid the maximum amount possible, the public cost of the vaccine would be around € 40 per person for all companies that could potentially be hired. I really don’t think that price is too high, “says S. Skvernelis.
The Prime Minister also thanks all NSK members who have expressed strong positions on strategy and tactics in the procurement of potential vaccines, as well as those who have taken responsibility for risks in future decisions on procurement contracts. According to the Prime Minister, this is one of the most striking examples of true state thinking and state responsibility.
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