News
Lanka seeks Rs. 10bn World Bank loan to buy COVID-19 vaccine
The Government has started talks with the World Bank to secure a Rs. 10 billion loan for the purchase of a vaccine against COVID-19, a senior official said.
The official said the Government was seeking a soft loan while also looking at the possibility of obtaining funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Union (EU) for the purchase of the vaccine required for a large part of the population.
Sri Lanka has been so far assured of being provided a vaccine for 20 percent of its population under an international initiative in which the United Nations agency, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is also involved.
Prof. Channa Jayasumana, State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulations of Pharmaceuticals, told the Sunday Times the cost for the proposed imports would largely depend on the type of vaccine to be imported according to its cost-effectiveness.
He said besides the negotiations with the World Bank, the Government was also looking at the possibilities of obtaining grants for the purchase of the vaccine.
Prof. Jayasumana said one of the concerns was the high expenditure which would have to be probably incurred for the cold chain facility as these vaccines needed to be stored in minus temperature conditions.
Sri Lanka has planned to provide the vaccine initially for frontline health workers while an Expert Committee is drawing up a programme prioritising groups who will be receiving the vaccine.
A senior Health official said Sri Lanka’s bid for the vaccine would have to be expedited as the vaccine would be released on the basis of how soon the country placed the order.
(See related story on Page 12)