Did MOHW Fully Disclose ALL COVID-19 Vaccine Purchases?
On July 7, Greater Belize Media submitted a Freedom of Information request to Minister of Health and Wellness Kevin Bernard, asking for all documents related to Belize’s COVID-19 vaccine procurement during the fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022. The request sought details on the types of vaccines purchased, the number of doses, the suppliers, and any contracts, memoranda, or procurement records.
Did MOHW Fully Disclose Its COVID-19 Vaccine Purchases?
On January 10, 2022, Prime Minister John Briceño announced that Kevin Bernard would be replacing Michel Chebat as the Minister of Health and Wellness.
Under the law, the ministry had two weeks to respond, which set the deadline for July 21. When asked on July 16 for an update, Minister Bernard confirmed that the request was being processed. “I did receive a letter, a correspondence from one Hipolito Novelo requesting a report from the COVID-19 procurement process. We are in the process of getting and gathering that information. We had, of course, to go through the necessary procedures, through the attorney general’s ministry, and they will hear from us pretty soon,” he said.
On July 22, one day after the legal deadline, the Ministry sent an acknowledgement of the request. The letter stated: “Kindly be informed that the Ministry of Health and Wellness must defer access to any and all documents which may have the information related to the above…to ensure access to complete and accurate information of which access may be granted three weeks after the date of this letter.”
On July 22, one day after the legal deadline, the Ministry sent an acknowledgement of the request.
That extension pushed the new deadline into August. On August 11, however, the Ministry sent a response that included only two reports: the Annual Technical Report 2021 and the Family and Community Health Annual Report 2022. According to the Ministry, these reports satisfied the FOIA request. But upon review, the documents did not include contracts, agreements, or procurement summaries as originally requested.
Did MOHW Fully Disclose Its COVID-19 Vaccine Purchases?
The 2021 report confirmed the purchase of 100,800 doses of AstraZeneca through PAHO/COVAX but did not state the cost. It also noted that “since the initiation of the covid-19 vaccination campaign there have been 214,749 eligible persons who have received a first dose and 208,154 that are fully vaccinated.” The 2022 report referenced 501,596 doses administered and noted “access to grant funds in support of the COVID 19 vaccination campaign and the overall strengthening of the EPI Program with focus on cold chain.” Neither report identified suppliers nor provided the requested procurement documentation.
Online research revealed that Belize received US$5 million in financing from the Inter-American Development Bank in 2021 to support its COVID-19 response. Of this, US$2.86 million was a direct loan and US$2.13 million a sovereign guarantee. The funds were used to purchase 238,800 vaccine doses through the COVAX Facility. A World Bank project was approved in February 2022 to support vaccine acquisition. The World Bank approved financing of US$6.2 million for the Belize COVID-19 Response Project, which will support the country in the acquisition and deployment of COVID-19 vaccines.
This information was shared with the Ministry as part of a renewed request for full disclosure.
On August 18, the ministry responded by saying that “the request has been fulfilled.” GBM disagreed. The ministry also treated the follow-up correspondence as a new request, resetting the timeline. We note that this was not a new request.
On August 18, the ministry responded by saying that “the request has been fulfilled.” GBM disagreed.
When pressed on August 27, Minister Bernard again maintained that the Ministry was working to compile all the details. He explained, “We are putting together, way from 2020 information that we are gathering. I can assure Mr Hipolito as we had written in his response letter that we are working in putting together all the necessary details as soon as we have that is completed we are going to ensure that it is made available.”
On August 28, nearly two months after the initial FOIA request, the Ministry provided additional documents. These included a supply agreement with the Slovak Republic, though parts were heavily redacted. That agreement was a donation, not a purchase. The Ministry also released an August 2021 memo for 138,000 doses valued at $2.2 million, a COVAX unaudited management account for 238,000 doses at $2.1 million, and an invoice showing $600,000 paid to G42 Medications Trading LLC in Abu Dhabi for 10,000 doses.
The original FOIA request sought the names of all vaccines purchased
The original FOIA request sought the names of all vaccines purchased, the number of doses, the sources or suppliers, and all related agreements or procurement records.
Despite the partial disclosures, questions remain about whether the Ministry has fully satisfied the request or whether key information about Belize’s COVID-19 vaccine procurement remains undisclosed.
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