Shmyhal Discusses Procurement Of Coronavirus Vaccine With G7 And EU Ambassadors
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has discussed procurement of a vaccine against the Covid-19 coronavirus with the ambassadors of the Group of Seven leading industrialized countries (the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Japan) and the European Union.
The press service of the Cabinet of Ministers announced this in a statement, the Ukrainian News Agency reports.
According to the statement, the prime minister and the G7 and EU ambassadors discussed the key parameters of the state budget for 2021 at a meeting on Tuesday.
"The budget also provides for the creation of a special fund, from which money will be allocated for purchase of a vaccine against coronavirus," said Shmyhal.
According to the prime minister, Ukraine is discussing the possibility of purchasing vaccines against the coronavirus with the World Bank and the European Investment Bank.
"Ukraine needs access to a vaccine at the beginning of next year, so that we can start the process of vaccinating doctors and people in other risk groups as soon as possible," Shmyhal said.
In addition, he told the ambassadors that the government has approved 100 priority investment projects in various industries. These are projects that can be implemented with the involvement of investors, particularly based on public-private partnerships, international technical assistance, or financed with loans and budget funds.
"We invite you to participate in privatization auctions and concession tenders in Ukraine," said Shmyhal.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Deputy Minister of Health/Chief State Sanitary Doctor Viktor Liashko recently said that Ukraine would receive more than 8 million doses of coronavirus vaccine through the COVAX mechanism.
On December 15, the parliament set up a special fund within the 2021 state budget for financing vaccinations against the coronavirus and increasing the salaries of doctors.
The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Digital Transformation are developing an electronic platform for registering for coronavirus vaccinations.