About 7 thousand doses of expired coronavirus vaccines have been used in Moldova - the Accounts Chamber.
The Accounts Chamber presented the results of an audit on measures to provide the population with vaccines and achieve herd immunity to overcome the coronavirus pandemic. The auditors found that the authorities and institutions involved in the immunization process, in a number of cases, did not demonstrate responsibility for the effective achievement of the goals of the National Immunization Plan against COVID-19, and numerous violations were committed. So, it turned out that 2.5 thousand people were vaccinated out of turn (according to the established rules, workers of medical institutions are vaccinated on a priority basis), and 7 thousand doses of the injected vaccines were expired. The auditors analyzed data from the Coronavirus Vaccine Registry, finding a number of discrepancies. At the same time, the auditors had suspicions about the reliability of about 70 thousand vaccination certificates issued by medical institutions. The auditors note that the lack of a comprehensive regulatory framework to authorize access to the Vaccine Record Register increases the risk of unauthorized access to information. Inconsistencies were identified in the planning procedures for vaccine procurement and their use. This led to the formation of vaccine stocks, including expired ones: as of November 15, there were more than 11 thousand doses of expired vaccine worth 1.6 million lei. According to the audit, Moldova has received about 2 million doses since the start of the vaccination campaign, of which 1.6 million doses have been used. Moldova received about 75% of vaccines worth 188.4 million lei free of charge. The remaining 25% of vaccines were purchased from the state budget, emergency funds of the state and compulsory medical insurance funds, as well as under bilateral agreements with manufacturers or international partners. The vaccination rate in Moldova is about 28%. The Accounts Chamber pointed to the imperfection of the information system related to vaccination, violations of interdepartmental communication, the lack of regulations for crisis management and subsequent monitoring, etc. The Accounts Chamber also made a number of recommendations to improve these processes and correct errors. The audit covered the Ministry of Health, the National Agency for Public Health, the Center for Public Procurement in Healthcare, the Office for Management of Foreign Aid Programs and 89 divisions of 13 medical institutions in Moldova. // 17.12.2021 - InfoMarket
