Scenario for extinguishing the debt to Pfizer for anti-Covid vaccines. Rogobete: “Let's get other products”
The Minister of Health, Alexandru Rogobete, said, on Thursday evening, at Euronews, that the Romanian state could propose to the Pfizer company that, on account of the amount of over three billion lei owed by Romania for the anti-Covid vaccines, our country should receive other products of the same drug company.
Alexandru Rogobete stated that he had discussions in the last two days with the Minister of Finance, Alexandru Nazare, to find solutions regarding the payment of 600 million euros to Pfizer and that one of the options would be for Romania to receive other products instead of vaccines.
“It's just a scenario, I'm not saying that it will happen. A negotiation would be that in the amount of three billion lei we no longer take the vaccines for COVID-19, but take other products that the company produces. We will have this scenario on the table for sure. The Ministry of Health will support this scenario. I can tell you this with certainty and firmly. The Ministry of Health came up with this proposal, let's go with this scenario of compensating that amount with other medicines”, explained the Minister of Health, Alexandru Rogobete, quoted by News.ro.
He said that the discussions he is having with the Minister of Finance on this subject are aimed at reducing the impact on the state budget.
“We are talking about several scenarios that we are trying to address in order to reduce and minimize as much as possible the effect on the state budget. What I can tell you for sure is that today the Ministry of Health does not have the amount of over three billion with this destination for the payment of vaccines from the Pfizer company. It does not exist in the budget of the Ministry of Health”, said Alexandru Rogobete.
A Belgian court on Wednesday ordered Poland and Romania to take over a delivery of 1.9 billion euros ($2.2 billion) worth of COVID-19 vaccines produced by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer. According to the court statement, Romania has to pay 600 million euros.
