General News of Monday, 19 July 2021Source: www.ghanaweb.com• Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, appeared before Parliament last week• He gave reasons to as why he procured the Russian Sputnik V through a middleman at $19• The minister said he took that step to save the lives of dying GhanaiansHealth Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has noted that he procured the Russian Sputnik V vaccines from a middle man, Sheik Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum out of frustration. He explained that at the time of the procurement of the vaccines, the number of Ghanaians dying from coronavirus was on the high, hence, his action, to protect the lives of Ghanaians. BackgroundGhana government through Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu reportedly entered an agreement for the supply of 3.4 million doses at a unit cost of $19 after the initial cost of $25 was negotiated. The factory price for the Sputnik V vaccine is $10 but several factors contributed to pegging it at $19. Some of the factors that contributed to the $19 price tag included; land transportation, shipment, handling and special storage charges.

Source: GhanaWeb July 19, 2021 13:41 UTC