Guido Carelli Lynch
04/10/2021 8:31 PM
Clarín.com
Politics
Updated 04/10/2021 8:34 PM
Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and Fernán Quirós
were surprised by the weekday statements of the Chief of Staff,
Santiago Cafiero,
who spoke for the first time about the possibility that the provinces and the private sector manage the purchase of vaccines against the coronavirus.
The head of the Buenos Aires Government and his Minister of Health found out about the news while looking at the statements of the President's right hand
in TN.
Although, as they point out in the Casa Rosada, the vaccine law does not prevent the private sector and the provinces from buying their doses, that possibility was never addressed in the
Federal Health Council
(COFESA), which brings together the Ministers of Health of the 24 jurisdictions and the Nation.
In the City, they had always relativized the possibility that private individuals could purchase vaccines as publicly proposed by the president of PRO
Patricia Bullrich
.
Now, after Cafiero's message, they recalculate - "we cannot stand idly by," they warn - and announced that they will try to manage the purchase of vaccines from private laboratories.
There have already been informal contacts, they
say.
"We are going to start the long journey of trying, with the vaccine producers, to get doses," said Diego Santilli in statements to radio Miter.
“One can try to work is an agreement with
AstraZeneca
.
In the United States, the laboratories already have a volume and there we will have to try to find a way with
Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson
, knowing that it is not an easy way ”, added the Buenos Aires deputy head of government.
Rodolfo Suárez, governor of Mendoza.
In the City they believe that it is practically impossible to translate an agreement before the end of the year.
"There is no case in the world of sub-national states that have acquired vaccines," they
explain.
Rodríguez Larreta delegated the efforts to his Chief of Staff,
Felipe Miguel,
and to the Secretary General for Government and International Relations,
Fernando Straface
.
In the City they clarify that any advance will be put at the service of the national vaccination campaign.
“In the event that the City finds an opportunity, it will put it
at the service of a federal and national strategy
.
A competition between provinces would not do the country good, ”Straface said before Clarín's query.
The Capital is not the only district that explores negotiations with private parties
.
Mendoza, Córdoba, Santa Fe and Entre Ríos have already scored in the race.
However, in all cases, they clarify that the chances of reaching an agreement are almost nil.
A window could only be opened for provinces, municipalities or private parties to go on the market if the provision foreseen in the contracts signed by the central countries to purchase vaccines were completed by the end of the year.
“We are looking for all possible links
with entrepreneurs and scientists from Mendoza who have a relationship with the world
.
I am calling you personally.
We are doing everything possible to obtain vaccines, "said the Mendoza governor, the radical
Rodolfo Suarez
to Miter.
The Cordovan
Juan Schiaretti
referred to the same possibility during his speech in front of the provincial legislative assembly.
"We are going to buy
the vaccines that are needed
when the laboratories come to sell to the subnational states," he said in February.
The governors of the ruling party also sign up.
The Santa Fe
Omar Perotti
explores an agreement with the private companies.
"Apparently it can be done, but I don't know if it will be so easy to get them,"
said provincial Health Minister
Sonia Martorano
this week
.
The Santa Fe Progressive Front sent a bill this week for Perotti to officially initiate the necessary steps.
Last year he had already initiated contacts with laboratories that never prospered.
According to sources from Entre Ríos to this newspaper, Governor
Gustavo Bordet
could also join the negotiations
.
In the City they warn that if the Government added other political sectors to the management table to purchase vaccines, it could shape a strategy of
"effective multilateralism."
"The fact of having acquired vaccines from
China and Russia
, which do diplomacy with them, should not be a restriction for the Government to go out and buy from
US laboratories
," they affirm.
Despite the fact that the Government centralized the purchase and distribution of respirators and other critical supplies at the beginning of the pandemic, in the Casa Rosada they argue that there was no change in criteria.
On the contrary, they point out the internal differences in Together for Change.
“The opposition changed its criteria.
Bullrich set the pace for Larreta.
If you are friends of 'José Pfizer' and can bring vaccines, welcome.
The question is why they did not take steps before, either to help the Government or to buy vaccines on their own ”, they ironically.