Health Ministry seeks Shs593bn to purchase more COVID-19 vaccines doses
Minister for Health Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng has said that the ministry will need 162 million USD (at least Shs593 billion) to purchase an additional 27 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
Dr. Aceng revealed this while appearing on the floor of Parliament to offer accountability on the COVID-19 vaccination process that started this week.
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"The total amount of money that we have calculated with the Finance Ministry is 162 million U.S dollars," Aceng told Parliament.
Aceng said that the ministry is targeting to have at least 49. 2% of the total Uganda population above 18 years vaccinated against COVID-19 at the end of the three phases of vaccination.
Last week Uganda received 800,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which was a donation from the COVAX facility. The country also received an additional 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the Government of India.
Kasanda North legislator Patrick Nsamba raised a point of national concern and tasked Dr. Aceng to assure the country that these vaccines will not concentrate in only Kampala and Wakiso.
In her reply, Aceng said that the vaccines have reached every district across the country and vaccination has already started for health workers and teachers.
"The vaccines have already been distributed to the entire country. They will be taken to the lower facilities, health center 4, 3, and general hospitals," Aceng said.
The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine continues to receive criticism across the world and a number of countries have stopped its distribution following side effects. Dr. Aceng however assured the nation that the vaccine is safe and was approved by World Health Organization.
