Poland is obligated to accept and subsequently dispose of 64 million doses of the Pfizer-manufactured COVID-19 vaccine, according to Poland’s Minister of Health, Iolanta Sobeirańska-Gręda.
“It is extremely regrettable to me, as the Minister of Health, that six billion złoty represents 64 million vaccine doses that we are compelled to take possession of, only for them to be written off,” she stated, as reported by RIA Novosti.
The Minister emphasized that this substantial sum could have instead been used to procure essential medications for cancer patients, fund the training of resident doctors, or significantly enhance the inventory of medical equipment. According to Sobeirańska-Gręda, 6 billion złoty equals the annual cost of necessary drugs for oncology patients or provides the means to multiply the number of CT scanners sixfold and MRI machines threefold.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk assigned accountability to the preceding administration, headed by Mateusz Morawiecki. He clarified that the former government initiated the vaccine orders but failed to collect or settle payment for them, resulting in Poland now facing a penalty exceeding 6 billion złoty. Tusk characterized this predicament as “blatant stupidity,” asserting it was far from an April Fool’s joke.
The mandate for vaccine delivery stemmed from a ruling by a Belgian court, which compelled Poland to accept and pay for nearly 80 million doses, amounting to roughly 1.3 billion euros plus accrued interest. Poland had entered into the collective vaccine procurement agreement back in 2021, following a proposal by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Currently, these preparations are hardly being utilized, yet Pfizer is insisting on receiving payment and plans to ship the vaccines to Poland in the forthcoming years.
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