THG’s bid to import Pfizer vaccine tangled in Thai red tape again
Red tape and bureaucracy are believed to have once again foiled Thonburi Healthcare Group (THG)’s attempts to procure mRNA vaccines against Covid-19.
On a televised talk show on Wednesday, THG chairman Dr Boon Vanasin said he was disheartened that not a single government agency has offered to help even though he has set up deals with vaccine producers.
He said THG has spoken to Pfizer representatives in different countries but cannot bring the vaccines in because no government agency is willing to import the jabs.
The Defence Ministry, meanwhile, dismissed Boon’s claim that it was helping import Pfizer vaccines.
The Securities and Exchange Commission also asked THG on Wednesday to clarify this point within seven days.
On July 12, Boon had announced that his organisation and a “certain” government agency would import 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine. However, no updates have been provided even though the operation was expected to kick off last month.
Boon’s statement about THG’s failure has raised an uproar on social media, with many netizens attacking the authorities and demanding they be flexible enough to allow the import of better vaccines.
The mRNA vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are believed to be effective against the Delta variant of the virus, which is spreading in Thailand.