Yesterday, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of B&H Zoran Tegeltija, when asked to comment on the quarrel between the state and federal levels of government due to lack of funds for the procurement of vaccines against COVID-19 infection, briefly told Dnevni Avaz that he did not know how the FB&H Government makes decisions and that this is an issue for the Bi& Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Precise deadlines

Bh. citizens were alarmed by the information that our state could be left without the vaccines that everyone is eagerly awaiting due to the fact that the Federal Government has not paid its share of the funds.

The FB&H Government announced yesterday that "they have secured the necessary funds for the procurement of coronavirus vaccines."

- Procedural possibilities are currently being considered within the legal solutions, because from the state level, even through the relevant ministry, the FB&H Government was not informed in time that the full amount of funds should be paid by December 15th, 2020. for the procurement of vaccines through COVAX mechanism - it is stated.

Due to the late notification, they say, they could not plan or pay the full amount earlier. Also, in the signed agreement, for which the Federal Minister of Health Vjekoslav Mandic is authorized, the deadlines for payment of reserved doses of vaccine, as well as delivery, are not specified, so funds could not be planned in this year's FB&H budget.

Outside the law

They emphasized that the ministries of health and finance are working on resolving this issue, and told the citizens not to worry and that the vaccine will be available within the deadlines as planned.

We remind you that the Council of Ministers warned the Government of FB&H that non-payment of the amount of 11.5 million KM endangers the procurement of vaccines.

They paid an advance

Assistant of Federal Minister of Health Goran Čerkez said that the FB&H Government was asked to pay more than 11 million KM by December 15th, which could not be procedurally complied with.

- It is not a problem in financial means, it is up to the procedures. The Council of Ministers of B&H has signed a contract with GAVI and it says who should sign the guarantee and for what period. The state was supposed to provide a guarantee. Relations within the state are regulated by another contract, by which time the advance should be paid, and the FB&H Government paid it on time - said Čerkez and said that he would try to solve the problem in every possible way.