FDA spokesperson denies "monetization" of coronavirus vaccine
While a director of the Food and Drug Administration of Iran said on Sunday, April 10, that citizens who are not prioritized for vaccination can pay 200,000 to 300,000 tomans for the coronavirus vaccine, a spokesperson for the organization said on the same day that it is "not true" that the vaccine is free.
Heidar Mohammadi, Director General of Drugs and Substances Controlled by the Food and Drug Administration, said on Radio Tehran's "Tehran Ma Salamat" program that free vaccines are currently only available to at-risk groups, whose number is estimated at around 2.2 million people.
He then announced that the first "nationally produced vaccine" would enter the market around June, saying: "If the vaccine is imported with half a dollar, those who are not prioritized for injection can purchase it from pharmacies for 200,000 to 300,000 tomans."
Hours after these statements, Kianoush Jahanpour, head of the Public Relations and Information Center of the Ministry of Health, said in an interview with ISNA news agency that "paid corona vaccination in the country is not correct."
He added that "vaccination within the framework of the National Vaccination Document against Covid-19 will be carried out free of charge until the target point, which is herd immunity resulting from vaccination, is reached."
Mr. Jahanpour emphasized: "The Ministry of Health denies any parallel policy or circumvention of this national program under any pretext, including paying for vaccines, which violates the national vaccination program."
In recent months, many citizens, experts, and even officials have criticized the slow process of vaccine production in the country.
According to Alireza Raisi, spokesman for the Corona Headquarters, on Saturday, a total of about 1.895 million doses of the vaccine have been delivered to Iran so far. In March last year, Health Ministry officials had promised to procure and produce 180 million doses of the vaccine within a year.
Source: Radio Farda
