KATHMANDU, Nov 25: The government has issued an order to remove legal obstacles and facilitate procurement of more than six million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines directly from the US manufacturer.

The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) said the government through publishing a notice on the Nepal Gazette has cleared a way out to procure the aforementioned quantity of the jabs against the coronavirus pandemic. According to the OPMCM, the government has to take the step as the existing Public Procurement Act does not have clear provisions to meet conditions put forth by the supplying company.

In response to the government approaching to purchase the vaccine, the manufacturer company had refused to consider the guarantee and instead asked the authorities to make advance payment. However, the country’s existing law has barred the government authorities from making advance payments, said the OPMCM. 

Recently, the government has initiated the campaign to administer Pfizer vaccines to people above the age of 12 and those who are suffering from chronic illnesses. On October 25, Nepal received 100,620 doses of Pfizer-BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine provided by the United States through COVAX, the international vaccine-sharing scheme backed by the United Nations.

 
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