Sri Lanka seeks Rs 10 billion World Bank loan to buy COVID-19 vaccine
Posted on December 20th, 2020
Courtesy NewsIn.Asia
Colombo, December 20 (Sunday Times) – The Government has started talks with the World Bank to secure a Rs. 10 billion loan for the purchase of a vaccine against COVID-19, The Sunday Times reported quoting a Senior Government official.
The official said the Government was seeking a soft loan while also looking at the possibility of obtaining funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Union (EU) for the purchase of the vaccine required for a large part of the population.
Sri Lanka has been so far assured of being provided a vaccine for 20 percent of its population under an international initiative in which the United Nations agency, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is also involved.
Prof. Channa Jayasumana, State Minister of Production, Supply and Regulations of Pharmaceuticals, told the Sunday Times the cost for the proposed imports would largely depend on the type of vaccine to be imported according to its cost-effectiveness.