HCMC – The Ministry of Finance has sought the Government’s approval to establish a fund to mobilize contributions, besides the State budget, to buy Covid-19 vaccines for local residents.
With the Ministry of Health’s plan to buy 150 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines for some 75 million people, the Ministry of Finance estimated the needed funds at VND25.2 trillion, the local media reported.
Of this, the cost of buying vaccines alone will be VND21 trillion, while the rest of the fund would be used for transporting, storing, distributing and injecting the vaccines.
Some VND16 trillion is expected to be sourced from the State budget and VND9.2 trillion from localities’ budgets, enterprises and organizations.
The demand for vaccines will be higher if the pandemic continues spreading and the State budget cannot afford to pay for the Covid-19 vaccines.
Therefore, the establishment of the Covid-19 vaccine fund is necessary to effectively mobilize and use the money contributed by domestic and foreign individuals and organizations amid the tight State budget. The fund will meet the country’s demand for curbing the pandemic by accelerating the purchase of the vaccines, accoridng to the Ministry of Finance.
The fund will be subject to inspections and audits by State management agencies specializing in finance and the State Audit of Vietnam.
It must report its operations to the Government and the National Assembly and publicize the mobilized amounts, the list of contributors, the amount spent and the balance.
