Health Minister Dr Zahid Maleque said India assured Bangladesh of providing Covid-19 vaccines as per the existing contract between the two neighbouring nations.
He made the statement while speaking at a press briefing at the Secretariat on Monday.
“We have been in touch with the Indian authorities and they have assured as that we will get the vaccine doses as per the agreement,” Maleque told reporters.
The briefing comes amid reports that the Indian government will not allow Seram Institute of India, which has been contracted to make 1 billion doses of the vaccine for developing nations, to export its coronavirus vaccine for the next several months.
Also Read - India bars company from exporting vaccines
“The new decision from Seram Institute of India will not affect our contract as we have done it through G2G (government to government buying) process, Health Secretary Abdul Mannan said during the same briefing.
The minister and secretary spoke to the media after a meeting over vaccines issue at the Secretariat in Dhaka on Monday.
“We’ve been working on this matter since morning. Talks have been held with Beximco, the foreign ministry and the Indian high commission. We have been assured that the agreement would not be disrupted,” said Health Ministr Maleque, who had earlier insisted that the first lot vaccine would reach by late January or early February.
The vaccine was granted emergency authorization by the Indian regulator on Sunday, but on the condition that Serum Institute doesn't export the shots to ensure that vulnerable populations in India are protected.
Earlier in December, India promised to provide Bangladesh with 30 million doses of “Covidshield” Covid-19 vaccines once it is ready by January this year.
The assurance came during the first-ever virtual summit between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
In November 2020, Bangladesh signed an agreement with the Serum Institute and Beximco Pharmaceuticals for availing 30 million doses of Covidshield, the vaccine developed by Oxford.
In the initial six months of the first phase, Serum was supposed to provide 5 million vaccine doses per month to Bangladesh through Beximco.