Hemas welcomes MoH request seeking private sector assistance on vaccine procurement

• Says will ensure only quality products are imported for vaccination drive
• Points out policy of manufacturers where vaccination imports are restricted to governments to ensure good governance
• Stresses restricting importation only govt. ensures there is no undue profiteering by any party

The sole local representative for AstraZeneca and Pfizer in Sri Lanka, Hemas Pharmaceutical (Pvt.) Ltd said it welcomes the request by the Ministry of Health (MoH) to the private sector to assist and facilitate vaccine purchase from any source. 

It affirmed  all efforts will be taken to ensure importation of quality products via its channel into the country. 

“As the official agent for AstraZeneca/Pfizer in Sri Lanka, we will refer all offers other than directly from the manufacturer to the principal company for approval,” said Hemas Pharmaceutical in a statement to the media, placing on record its stance on efforts taken by the government to improve access to the country. 

Pointing out that AstraZeneca and Pfizer are the current global leaders in producing the COVID-19 vaccine, Hemas shared that as per the policy of the manufacturers, imports of these vaccines are restricted to respective governments to ensure good governance. 

“In Sri Lanka too, the government policy has been to register the COVID-19 vaccine under a local representative. State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) is the only institution authorised to import the vaccines on behalf of the government,” said Hemas Pharmaceutical. 

It went on to stress that restricting the importation only to the government is to ensure that there is no undue profiteering by any party, as the manufacturers supply the vaccine at cost to make sure there is equitable access for all citizens, rich and poor.

Currently, due to the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases and casualties, there is a global shortage of supply.