Covid-19 vaccine prices revealed to PAC for transparency, says Khairy

KUALA LUMPUR: The prices of Covid-19 vaccines were revealed to the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for transparency purposes, says Khairy Jamaluddin.

The Science, Technology and Innovation Minister said he and Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, who co-chairs the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Committee, had informed the PAC in an official proceeding on the procurement of the vaccines.

Khairy said both ministries had volunteered to appear before the PAC to ensure transparency in the procurement of the vaccines.

"We want to fulfil the transparency principle, so we provided as many details as allowed by the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) signed with the pharmaceutical companies supplying the vaccine.

"We understand there are some concerns on the NDA, so although we cannot announce the exact pricing, the government has already announced the total amount spent.

"However, in the PAC proceedings, I have revealed the exact purchasing price in detail.

"I have also revealed documents signed with Pfizer and AstraZeneca with the Malaysian Government," he said in a press conference after a three-hour-long proceeding with PAC on Tuesday (Jan 5).

Asked if revealing the information to the PAC would go against the NDA signed, Khairy said it does not as the Committee is part of the government.

"We consider that the privileged information was shared with public officials," he added.

In an immediate response, PAC chairman Wong Kah Woh said the committee was satisfied with the statements by the two ministers, as well as Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

"We are satisfied with the testimony and explanation by the ministers on the procurement and usage of the Covid-19 vaccines.

"The proceeding is in line with the PAC's wish in ensuring there is transparency in the government spending for the benefit of the people.

"At the same time, the PAC also takes note on the NDA between the government and the vaccine manufacturers.

"Generally, NDA should not hinder the duties and role of PAC," said Wong in a statement.

Wong added that in this situation however, the PAC would balance its role in conducting legislative scrutiny with the clauses in the NDA to ensure there is no breach in the terms.

Earlier, Khairy also said that the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Committee will also discuss the decision to provide free Covid-19 vaccination to foreign workers, expatriates and permanent residents in the country.

Khairy said a meeting will be held jointly with the Human Resources, Home, and Foreign ministries on the matter end of this month.

Khairy said the aim is to target as many foreign workers as possible.

"The principle is simple. We need to vaccinate them to ensure that we are all safe.

"The more we vaccinate, the safer we are. If we ask them or their employers to pay, it may become an obstacle for them.

"They might say it is not required to vaccinate them, so we are considering this very carefully," he added.

Meanwhile, Khairy said the Covid-19 vaccine will be voluntary for Malaysians who are interested in getting it.

He said Malaysians can do so by registering themselves through the MySejahtera application.

Khairy also said that the Health Ministry will be monitoring the side effects of Covid-19 vaccines, if any, for the first few years through the application.

He also said people can report any side effects through MySejahtera should there be any side effects.