No budget allocation to facilitate Covid vaccine: SF

20 November 2020 06:20 pm Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 13 Bookmark

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The Government had not made any allocations in the budget for the vaccine for COVID-19 which was scheduled to be released shortly by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka told Parliament today.

He said the United States had already made arrangements to use the vaccine in USA as and when it is available.

“The USA has appointed a team headed by an Army General to prepare for the situation to administer the vaccine. They have even assigned helicopters and institutions to distribute the vaccine. The USA has allocated US Dollars 26 billion for the process. We also need to allocate at least US Dollars one billion (Rs. 180 billion) for the process. However, we have allocated only Rs. 16 billion in the budget for combating the Corona epidemic. It means that we have totally ignored this issue,” he said.

Mr. Fonseka said Sri Lanka should not take for granted the process of administering the vaccine to the people as it was a complex process which needs proper planning and organising. (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)

Comments - 13

Chux Friday, 20 November 2020 06:28 PM

They don’t want a vaccine here as they have a judiciary which will empower to spend public money for the benefit of their family

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FF Friday, 20 November 2020 06:36 PM

GOVT IS WAITING TO GET THEM FREE OF CHARGE FROM WHO. THAT IS WHY THEY HAVE BEEN WAITING ALL THIS LONG

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BigEars Friday, 20 November 2020 06:39 PM

I too have also been of this option and agree with SF. In the UK, people have been informed of the tentative dates for the vaccination. In Sri Lanka we talk a lot about the efficient state health system and we have no allocation for purchasing the vaccine. The worse in GMOA says it is not practically possible due to the low storage and transport temperature of the Pfizer vaccine. To the surprise of GMOA, the Modena vaccine can with a storage temperature of -20 deg Celsius. Now it seems the term vaccine is taboo in Sri Lanka.

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C Gunda Saturday, 21 November 2020 12:38 PM

Who cares what UK does. Sri lanka is another country. We have to do things according to our means. Preaching is very easy but you need to give it time to plan and do what needs to be done. We had to pay big taxes in UK and their coffers have the money.

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Tudor Friday, 20 November 2020 06:53 PM

Yes certainly please don't play with the lives.

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VJ Friday, 20 November 2020 06:57 PM

The Chinese will give it to us for free, since the virus was free too.

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Chryshan K Friday, 20 November 2020 07:01 PM

Govt has no intention of eradicating covid-19 since it has become a new business like our war where they profitted over continuing. That's why they have stopped all lockdowns as well.

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Eichmann Bernhard (Germany) Friday, 20 November 2020 07:09 PM

No money available, but gifts for the Chinese.

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Roshan Samarathunga Friday, 20 November 2020 07:17 PM

I just don’t know what you are talking about, are you insane making false information about USA .

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Expatriate Friday, 20 November 2020 07:25 PM

No one still knows if any of the three vaccine candidates that have coincidently emerged as front runners would actually work, so major Wester countries are making orders for all three of them. Third world countries don’t have the financial luxury to decide for themselves, so they have to depend on the WHO to receive which ever vaccine the WHO decides to give. Finally, counties like Britain have decided allow nurses and pharmacists to inject the vaccine to the whole population, now it has decided to expand and inviting volunteers from the public to be trained quickly to inject on the population. So what it shows is what the doctors have been doing for centuries can also be easily done by others. Covid-19, has removed the myth of the medical profession.

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Ranaweera Friday, 20 November 2020 07:27 PM

We will receive vaccine from China and Russia at 1% of the US vaccine. US vaccine has a profit margin of 1000%. US government pays for its citizens since they can just print the Dollars. We have to earn the Dollars and for last one year our avenues for earning the Dollars have been shrinking. So Gen Fonseka , give a solution to the problem.

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Srilankan Friday, 20 November 2020 07:32 PM

Good point. But China will give it for free of charge .

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Mushi Friday, 20 November 2020 07:47 PM

Worthy point if we fail in vaccination when the rest of the world vaccinate we will be the failed state at that moment

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