BANGKOK — Thailand’s state pharmaceutical announced on Wednesday that it has filed a defamation complaint against the chairman of a private hospital operator for his criticism of the company’s purchase of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) lawsuit accuses Boon Vanasin of giving false information, alleging that the GPO aimed to maximize profit from the public as the coordinator for Moderna vaccines for private hospitals, according to a statement from the GPO.
“This has caused harm to the GPO, necessitating legal action,” it stated.
The case comes as the government faces criticism over its immunization policy, which has relied on Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines thus far.
Another critic of the approach, opposition legislator Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, has been charged with insulting the monarchy after criticizing the government of relying too heavily on a royal-owned company to manufacture AstraZeneca vaccines. The offence carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in jail. The lawsuit was welcomed by Boon, the outspoken chairman of Thonburi Healthcare Group Pcl and another critic of the government’s immunization program.
“It’s a good thing if GPO is suing me,” Boon was cited in local media as saying.
“In court, the GPO documents can be revealed and opened. Everything is there, including how many and how much.” Boon could not be reached for comment right away, and Thonburi Healthcare Group did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters. The sluggish introduction of the AstraZeneca shot and diminishing confidence in Sinovac have boosted demand for mRNA vaccines in Thailand.
The GPO had been asked by the private hospital association to purchase 10 million Moderna dosages for patients who had expressed an interest.
Last month, the GPO announced that it had only procured 3.9 million doses of the vaccine for private institutions, with another 1.1 million doses expected in 2022.
(Chayut Setboonsarng contributed to this report.)/n
