Turan in search of answers to questions about "AstraZeneka"

Baku/18.03.21/Turan: Director of the Turan Information Agency Mehman Aliyev sent a written information request to the chair of the board of the State Agency for Health Insurance (İTS) Zaur Aliyev with a request to answer the agency's questions, which he unsuccessfully tries to receive via email and phone from March 12.

The questions are:

1. When, who and with whom did the manufacturer "AstraZeneka" sign an agreement on the supply of the vaccine?

2. What amount of “AstraZeneka” vaccine that will be supplied under the contract?

3. Will the implementation of the “AstraZeneka” vaccine supply agreement be suspended or continued due to the withdrawal of this vaccine by a number of countries?

According to the laws on the media and Freedom of Information, the response must be submitted respectively no later than 24 hours and 7 days. Further, the issue is considered in court. Aliyev also sent a letter to the Ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva.

“Since March 12, 2021, I have been trying to get answers to the questions addressed by TƏBIB related to the “AstraZeneka” vaccine. On March 15, I sent an official written information request to the chair of the board of the State Agency for Compulsory Health Insurance, Mr. Zaur Aliyev.

I ask questions within the framework of the laws on the media, freedom of information, but I do not get answers. Gross violations of the law are evident,” the letter says. In the letter, Aliyev asks the Ombudsman to ensure a response to the information request within the framework of her powers determined by law.

“Unfortunately, the state information policy, including the interaction of state bodies and the media, is in a state of collapse. There is no system of feedback from the media, which sharply reduces the effectiveness of informational influence. Officials only say what they want, which drastically limits the flow of government information and its impact on public opinion. This is the reason for the information vacuum that has formed between the state and society. Information requests are one of the means by which we are trying to rectify the situation,” Mehman Aliyev said. –0-