Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the Covid-19 vaccination campaign on February 2 as 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm, a gift from the time-tested friend China, arrived in Pakistan on the last day of January. In the first week of the vaccination campaign in the federal capital Islamabad, only 34 frontline health workers inoculated.

Quite strangely the vaccination campaign received very cold response from the frontline health workers despite ‘elaborate’ arrangements as claimed by the District Health Officer Dr Zaeem Zia. The DHO believes that “they are not refusing to be vaccinated but seem reluctant”.

A leading newspaper reported on Monday that as many as 14 vaccination cantres have been established in the federal capital but only five are functional due to fewer number of healthcare workers showing up for vaccination.

If the situation shows lack of trust on the Chinese vaccine or the district health authorities were ill-prepared to take up the vaccination campaign. Many health workers are waiting for their registration. Some have not received any call for vaccination though they have registered themselves for the vaccination. We have strange people running even the health system who are slow and sluggish. Ironically, they are ill-prepared too for such type of interventions.

The DHO has claimed that the healthcare workers were checking with those who had been vaccinated, which showed that they were mentally preparing themselves for the vaccination

We don’t see any awareness campaign before the launch of the vaccination campaign why the Siopharm is better than the other choices of vaccine. Instead of asking the health workers to register them for vaccination, the vaccination teams could have reached to their working places the hospitals, labs and healthcare centres. No doubt, special arrangements needed for reaching to the frontline health workers.

Some may be waiting for the results of the inoculation. But they shall rest assure that so far no negative impact is seen. The DHO has claimed that the healthcare workers were checking with those who had been vaccinated, which showed that they were mentally preparing themselves for the vaccination.

Strangely, we all were criticizing the government for delayed procurement of the vaccine but now even the healthcare workers are hesitating to get themselves vaccinated. A doctor working at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad has been reported saying, “it is a new vaccine, which has been registered in a hurry, and no one is aware of its results, especially its side-effects. That is why people have been hesitant across the globe. However, I believe that it is a matter of days when people will start offering themselves for vaccination.”

On the other hand, the health authorities are pretending that Covid-19 cases are reducing to show their ‘performance’ that has resulted fearless casual behaviour of the public in general and in violation of the set SOPs. In fact, the government is not conducting required number of random tests. About 20 teams were formed in the federal capital for random Covid-19 tests. Ironically, only 10 are working actually and for the test of the suspects only. Mostly the people have no trust or no reach to the district health teams, and prefer to go to the private labs that charge PKR 6500 per person each test. It is another way of government authorities’ connivance with the private sector labs that are fleecing money from the public. Who can forget that the government aides used donated Covid-19 testing kits for highly priced public tests at their privately owned hospitals and labs?

The stakeholders speaking at a webinar, organized by the Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) have suggested the Covid-19 vaccine donors to strictly monitor the distribution and administration of free doses being donated to Pakistan government. They feared that free vaccine doses might be grabbed by the aides of those in power and they could be sold on high price in the privately own hospitals and labs as it was done in the case of Covid-19 free testing-kits.

The trust deficit between the people and the Pakistan government has widened. So, it is necessary to have external or inclusive monitoring and control mechanisms in place for the Covid-19 vaccination campaign. It is necessary for transparency and to benefit the genuinely needy ones and all. Sooner, we will be receiving 17 million free doses of AstraZeneca from the COVAX. So, the government should first develop an inclusive and integrated Covid-19 vaccination policy, followed by a vigorous action plan embedded with an inclusive monitoring.

We are far behind in developing any inclusive and integrated framework for the Covid-19 vaccination. Just firefighting would not serve the purpose to take care of the peoples’ healthcare and preventive needs. The federal government and the provinces have to be on the same page in this regard. How it would done when they have trust deficit and political point scoring? Another question mark.

The COVAX and the Chinese government shall device inclusive monitoring mechanisms to ensure rational use of the donated vaccine. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan is said to be more professional and a gentleman but even he could not bridge the institutional gaps and trust deficit that was essentially desired during this national crisis. Teamwork and inclusive approach is vital than working in isolation in any situation if you want to handle the crisis transparently. Still the government has some time take the right path.

The writer is a freelance journalist and broadcaster, Director Devcom-Pakistan, a policy advocacy and outreach think tank in Islamabad. His email: devcom. pakistan @gmail.com Twitter Handle: @EmmayeSyed