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We are about to scrap another 2.5 million vaccines, and they want us to buy another 7 million doses. This was stated in the program "120 Minutes" on BTV by the acting Minister of Health, Dr. Asen Medzhidiev
Dr. Asen Medzhidiev was born in 1968. He graduated in medicine at the Higher Medical Institute in
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The epidemic of coronavirus (COVID-19) 32574
According to him, efforts are currently focused on the immunization of children against chicken pox and measles.
"Bulgaria was not involved in determining the number of COVID vaccines to be delivered to us.
Only five EU member states participated in this process.
They have determined the quantities of delivered vaccines for each country, the main criteria for this being the population.
Thus, a very large amount is planned for Bulgaria," explained Dr. Medzhidiev.
Pfizer cuts EU vaccines but wants payment for unproduced doses
The Minister of Health emphasized that by June, our country must purchase another seven million doses.
Currently, there are 2.8 million doses in Bulgaria that have been discarded.
"In the next month, we are going to discard another 2.5 million doses", he added and specified that apart from this, we have another 1.5 million doses prepaid by the regular "Petkov" office.
"This is a huge amount of vaccines that we will actually have to pay for and then destroy.
That is exactly why I raised the topic in Brussels during the meeting of health ministers in the community," added Dr. Medzhidiev.
According to him, Bulgaria made an attempt to donate these vaccines, but no one wanted them.
Our country does not have the right to resell them, therefore the Minister of Health has proposed in Brussels to terminate the contract with the pharmaceutical company "Pfizer" and to recommend specific quantities, according to the needs of each specific country that is a member of the EU.
The payment should not be made in advance, but after the delivery of the vaccines.
"We do not negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies.
This is done by the European Commission.
She had conducted such negotiations and a new, but again unacceptable, contract was proposed.
It provided for a reduction in quantities to European countries, but against the introduction of a "flexibility" fee.
It's about a penalty.
They wanted us to pay Bulgaria a huge sum.
I'm not allowed to say an exact figure, but it was about millions.
With this money, we can build the National Children's Hospital," said Dr. Medzhidiev.
From his words, it became clear that four countries officially supported the Bulgarians in Brussels, but there were also four other countries that said that the European Commission should return to the negotiating table with the pharmaceutical industry.
"We may be a country that is a member of the EU, but each country first protects the interests of its own citizens.
I have never been anti-vaxxer.
On the contrary, I support vaccinations.
The caretaker government opened vaccination clinics and returned doctors' pay - BGN 15 per administered vaccine.
We also did a campaign when there was still a COVID wave.
But I won't allow vaccines to be bought when we don't need them and we have to allocate additional funds to destroy them," the health minister said categorically.
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The epidemic of coronavirus (COVID-19)
Asen Medzhidiev
vaccines against COVID