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 The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) suit accuses Boon
Vanasin of providing false information, claiming that the GPO, as
coordinator for Moderna vaccines for private hospitals, sought to
maximize profit from the public, the GPO said in a statement.
"This damaged the GPO and therefore it is necessary to take legal
action," it said.
The lawsuit comes as the government comes under fire for its vaccine
policy, which has so far relied on Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.
Another critic of the strategy, opposition politician Thanathorn
Juangroongruangkit, is facing charges of insulting the monarchy
after accusing the government of over-reliance on a royal-owned firm
to produce AstraZeneca vaccines. The crime is punishable by up to 15
years imprisonment.
Boon, the outspoken chairman of Thonburi Healthcare Group Pcl and
another critic of the government's vaccine policy, told local media
that he welcomed the complaint.
"If GPO is suing me, then it's a good thing," Boon was quoted saying
by local media.
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 "The GPO documents can be
revealed and opened in court. It's all there,
how many and how much." Boon
could not be immediately reached for comment and Thonburi Healthcare
Group did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Demand for mRNA vaccines in Thailand has surged amid slow rollout of
the AstraZeneca shot and waning confidence in Sinovac.
The private hospital association had requested the GPO purchase 10
million Moderna doses for patients who had showed interest.
The GPO last month said it had procured just 3.9 million doses of
the vaccine for private hospitals and expects another 1.1 million
doses in 2022.
(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng)
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