Some Rs 12 million were remitted to the National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme Fund by the representative of Accenture Operations Mauritius, Mr Charles Cartier, in a ceremony at Caudan Arts Centre in Port Louis. The Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy; the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal; and other personalities were present at the event.
The National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme Fund was set up under the Finance and Audit Act to finance the implementation of the Vaccination Programme. The private sector, the public at large, international organisations, development partners and friendly countries can contribute to the Fund. The amount donated can be deducted from their taxable income.
In their addresses, both Ministers expressed their gratitude to Accenture Operations Mauritius for assisting Government in ensuring that the population have adequate access to COVID-19 vaccines, and thus get the economy back on track since vaccination coverage is deemed a prerequisite for economic recovery.
The Finance Minister affirmed that Rs 1,7 billion have been received so far, of which Rs 1,1 have been placed in the Consolidated Fund. He added that Government has already purchased some two million vaccines. Dr Padayachy also highlighted the synergy and collaboration between the public and private sectors that are critical to overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to find solutions with regards to equipment, recruitment of personnel and vaccination programmes.
For his part, the Health Minister underlined that the donation will be used judiciously for the welfare of the citizens. He recalled that Government has already achieved its objective, which was scheduled for end of October 2021, to have 60% of the population fully vaccinated. As at date, the number of people fully vaccinated was 754,323 while 819,323 people have received their first dose.
As for Mr Cartier, he commended Government for its efforts in protecting the citizens of Mauritius. He said that the Company was duty bound to help Government fight the COVID-19 pandemic and thus achieve economic recovery.
