KATHMANDU: With the Government of Nepal raising concern about Chinese supplies of vaccine to Nepal, China has warned Nepal to transport the Sinopharm vaccines immediately and that the relevant documents, including the legal disclaimer, may be provided simultaneously or later.
The Chinese side has warned Nepal saying that if the government of Nepal fails to collect the vaccine as soon as possible, it will be re-distributed by other commercial orders and the manufacturing of the vaccines for Nepal will have to be put on a much later list.
Earlier, the Nepali side had sent a letter to the Chinese Embassy in Nepal saying that the company supplying the vaccine had not provided the required documents.
The Embassy was asked to clarify that two Chinese companies had sought permission to supply vaccines to Nepal and had not completed the process.
The P&G Holdings Pvt Ltd and Hospice Enterprises Pvt Ltd had applied for permission to supply Chinese vaccines to Nepal.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that there is a dilemma as to which company is the official company for importing vaccines.
The letter further states: “If the Nepali side could not collect this batch of the vaccine as soon as possible, it will be redistributed by other commercial orders and the manufacturing of the vaccines for Nepal will have to be put on a much later list.”
The P&G Holdings has sought permission from the Department of Pharmaceutical Management, along with a price list, to supply the vaccine through Blue Stone Global Technology Pvt Ltd, a Singaporean company. However, P&G has not provided the required documents for vaccine supply.
So far, the Department of Drug Administration has only allowed conditional emergency use of Covishield produced by the Serum Institute of India.
There is a provision that the Department of Drug Administration should give permission after studying whether the vaccine is suitable for use before bringing it.
However, the Nepali government has not given permission for the use of Chinese vaccines.
The Chinese Embassy in Nepal has sent a reply to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ (MoFA) letter in a cautioning language.
The letter sent to MoFA said, “Emphasizing the friendship between China and Nepal and Nepal’s demand for COVID-19 vaccines, the Chinese side has decided to make special arrangements for the production and delivery of vaccines for Nepal by simplifying the grant aid process.”
It is suggested to take the Sinopharm vaccine immediately to donate to the Nepali side under grant assistance.
China, in the letter, said that the Nepali side is suggested to transport the Sinopharm vaccines to be donated to Nepal under grant assistance immediately.
“The relevant documents including legal disclaimer may be provided simultaneously or later,” the letter said adding, “The Sinopharm vaccines are currently in high demand and short supply. In order to provide the vaccines to Nepal at the earliest and help Nepali people’s fight against the pandemic, the Chinese side has again made arrangements to this end in the coordination of the Sinopharm.”
The letter further states: “If the Nepali side could not collect this batch of the vaccine as soon as possible, it will be redistributed by other commercial orders and the manufacturing of the vaccines for Nepal will have to be put on a much later list.”
“The Embassy hopes that relevant Nepali authorities could facilitate the early approval and registration of Sinopharm vaccine for the emergency use in Nepal for the benefit of the Nepali people,” the letter stated.
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