A month ago, President Alejandro Giammattei announced that a contract had been signed with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca for the purchase of 4 million doses. To date, there is no evidence of the signing of the contract or that there are any approaches with the company.
The alleged bilateral purchase of AstraZeneca vaccines seems a reminder of how negotiations with the Russian entity Human Vaccine for the supply of doses of Sputnik V.
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Contradictory information, false promises to send more vaccines and changes of discourse are factors in common that characterize both bilateral negotiations.
On August 16, President Alejandro Giammattei said that the contract had been signed that morning. “We are already buying more vaccines, four million doses were signed with AstraZeneca today, of which two will come to the IGSS, which will allow it to cover a million members regardless of age,” he said.
The information on that supposed signature is contradictory. On the one hand, when consulting with the communication office of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS), it was reported that the contract was signed with the former minister Amelia Flores on September 1. But this version is refuted by the same government through the Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency (SCSP), which reported that the signature has not yet been finalized.
When consulting with the head of the SCSP, Patricia Letona, the reasons why the president assured that the contract had been signed, he said that it was a mistake.
“At the time, they conveyed inaccurate information to him and that gave rise to the previous statement. However, we reiterate that the purchase is at a very advanced stage, under review by the parties. Guatemala has a guaranteed supply of vaccines for the entire year, through the different mechanisms and donations available, ”said Letona.
Prensa Libre an attempt was made to contact an AstraZéneca spokesperson by mail to ask if it is true that the government has negotiated with the company to purchase more vaccines, but at press time there was no response.
Unfulfilled promise
On September 15, Giammattei said at a public event that a million vaccines would come the first week of October, but this promise will not be fulfilled. In the Integrated Accounting System of the Ministry of Finance (Minfin) evidence that no balance has been committed for the purchase of the doses.
Of the Q1 thousand 500 million available for the purchase of vaccines and their transportation, the MSPAS has only executed Q686 million 081 thousand 901.08. Of these, Q614 million correspond to the payment made for the Sputnik V doses and the rest are disbursements to the Covax mechanism and to the transport of the drug.
The MSPAS communication office did not answer why, if the contract has already been signed, a balance has not even been committed. For its part, the head of the SCSP because the negotiations have not reached the financial disbursement phase. “There are previous steps that must be fulfilled and it will be reported in a timely manner,” he said.
Inconsistencies
Marvin Flores, from Acción Ciudadana, sees it unlikely that this purchase of AstraZéneca vaccines will be completed in the short term. “It is not feasible because to make any purchase in the public administration you must have a budget availability certificate and that must still be processed by the MSPAS. The acquisition process can be started, but without that no contract can be signed, ”said Flores.
The interviewee considers that the contradictory information on the bilateral negotiations is part of the lack of control that the government has shown in handling the pandemic. “The presidency itself says that it is not signed, but the MSPAS says otherwise. It is contradictory because we are talking about central government entities. It means that not even they are coordinated, “said the analyst.
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For her part, Sofía Montenegro, an expert in public procurement, believes that Guatemala should speed up bilateral purchases since it cannot depend on just donations. “The attitude of the government has been to wait for donations and not to expedite contracts. It has been inefficient in the process of negotiating with other pharmaceutical companies and it has been trusted, ”said Montenegro.
This is relevant in the current context, where the medical community has recommended a third dose to reinforce immunization to certain vulnerable groups. Given the lack of hiring, this reinforcement could be applied late in the country, explains Montenegro.
A damaging contract
The signing by former health minister Amelia Flores of the Sputnik V contract has been surrounded by questions for various reasons.
In principle, the contract was reserved in its entirety and was never disclosed by the MSPAS through official channels. The MSPAS has refused to inform which officials advised Flores in his negotiation and the content was not shared with the CGC or the MP, who required it to investigate it.
Through journalistic publications, its content was known, which showed that it was a disadvantageous agreement for Guatemala since no delivery schedule was agreed upon and no responsibilities were specified for the seller in case of non-compliance.
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