The verdict there (the report is before the APA) is harsh, especially with regard to the purchase of vaccines. For the subcommittee of the Court of Auditors’ committee, the duty of truth for persons to provide information is also required. When it comes to vaccines, the three parliamentary groups see the “austerity dictate” that the ÖVP-led finance ministry has imposed on the green health department as a cardinal error. “The documents submitted show that the Ministry of Health originally wanted to fix ‘more than EUR 200 million’, but in the end the Ministry of Finance was able to prevail with a cost cap of EUR 200 million – with immense health and financial damage to the population and the economy “as it says in the report.
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“Vaccination strategy opaque”
This is not the only reason the government has waived 1.5 million doses from Johnson & Johnson, held back on the more expensive vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer and primarily relied on the cheapest vaccine from AstraZeneca. The federal states’ vaccination strategy was opaque, and the older population in particular was longingly waiting for a vaccination appointment in spring 2021.
“The goals promised by Chancellor Kurz had to be postponed several times. In order to divert attention from his own failure, Kurz declared Clemens Martin Auer from the Ministry of Health to be ‘mainly guilty’, while Kurz himself made vaccination a top priority”, according to the opposition point of view of things: “In order not to jeopardize the quarreling coalition, the then BM Anschober withdrew the agendas for vaccination. It is highly implausible that neither Federal Minister Anschober nor Federal Chancellor Kurz knew anything about all of this and that an official single-handedly entered Austria this chaos has overthrown. “
No trace of the Russian vaccine “Sputnik V”
Then “smoke grenades like Sputnik” were detonated: “Not a single dose has been delivered to date. So not only is there a trace of the Russian vaccine missing – nobody knows it either – at least in the Ministry of Health and the BKA even a draft contract for the delivery of Sputnik. ” Conclusion: “The announcement that the first deliveries will be made in April 2021 when it comes to Sputnik comes close to a large-scale lie.”
Lack of transparency in cooperation with the Red Cross
The committee minority also criticizes the lack of transparency in the cooperation with the Red Cross, something that concerns the purchase of protective masks and protective equipment, but also when working in the crisis team or in the projects “Look at yourself, look at me” or “Austria vaccinates “and the” Corona app “. In addition, the opposition questions the role of the Bundesbeschaffungs GmbH (BBG), for example in the “questionable award of contracts for mass tests”. From the opposition’s point of view, it is questionable whether the exceptional circumstances of “urgency” still existed in autumn and winter 2020.
There is also a lack of transparency in mass tests. “Citizens should have the right to be able to understand in detail the decision-making process of the federal government with regard to a major tax-funded contract worth around 67 million euros,” the opposition said.
“Questionable desire for domestic manufacturer”
Regarding Hygiene Austria, SPÖ, FPÖ and NEOS write of the “questionable desire for a local manufacturer” in the midst of a global health crisis. From whom exactly this originated remains unclear. “In any case, it became clear in the course of the committee that the republic was able to save around nine million euros in tax money after the unofficial requirement to commission a domestic manufacturer had been dropped and the BMSGPK awarded the contract for around 18 million FFP2- Protective masks of “Aktion 65+” had to be written out. “
