PAC chairman Wong Kah Woh noted that the promotional price in advertisements of the sale of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine were on the high side and urged the government to ensure that the maximum retail price is reasonable. — Picture courtesy of the Public Accounts Committee
KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today urged the government to quickly set a ceiling price for the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine that will soon be available in the open market.
Its chairman Wong Kah Woh noted that the promotional price in advertisements of the sale were on the high side and urged the government to ensure that the maximum retail price is reasonable.
“The ceiling price covering the vaccine price by Pharmaniaga and the cost charged by private clinics or hospitals is necessary to ensure that the price of vaccination is reasonable and does not burden the public,” he said in a statement.
Wong who is also Ipoh Timur MP said the PAC noted that the government has greenlit the sale of Covid-19 vaccine on the open market from next month.
“The committee also notes that the price for the Covid-19 vaccination has started to be promoted and the price is higher than it should be,” he added.
Local pharmaceutical firm Pharmaniaga Berhad is the sole government appointed distributor of the Sinovac vaccine in Malaysia.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced last week that Pharmaniaga will sell 14 million doses of Sinovac to interested states and private companies from this month until September.
He said the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee had approved the direct sale of the vaccine to interested parties as part of the government’s efforts to achieve herd immunity as soon as possible.