Food and Drug Organization Spokesman Denies Corona Vaccine Monetization

While an Iranian Food and Drug Organization official said on Sunday, April 19, that citizens not prioritized for vaccination could pay 200,000 to 300,000 tomans for a coronavirus vaccine, the organization’s spokesman said on the same day that making the vaccine paid is “incorrect.”

Heydar Mohammadi, Director General of Drugs and Controlled Substances at the Food and Drug Organization, said on Tehran Radio’s “Tehran Our Health” program that free vaccination is currently only available for at-risk groups, estimated at approximately 2.2 million people.

He then announced that the first “domestically produced vaccine” would enter the market around June, saying: “In case of vaccine imports with semi-official currency, those not prioritized for vaccination can obtain it from pharmacies for 200,000 to 300,000 tomans.”

Hours after these remarks, Kianoosh Jahanpour, head of the Ministry of Health’s Public Relations and Information Center, told ISNA news agency that “paid coronavirus vaccination in the country is not accurate.”

He added that “vaccination will be conducted within the framework of the national COVID-19 vaccination document free of charge until reaching the target point of herd immunity from vaccination.”

Mr. Jahanpour emphasized: “The Ministry of Health denies any parallel policy or circumvention of this national program under any title, including vaccine cost payments, that violates the national vaccination program.”

In recent months, many citizens, experts, and even officials have criticized the slow pace of vaccine procurement in the country.

According to Alireza Raisi, spokesman for the Corona Task Force on Saturday, approximately 1.895 million doses of vaccine have been delivered to Iran so far. Last March, Health Ministry officials had promised to provide and produce 180 million doses of vaccine over the course of one year.

Source: Radio Farda