KARACHI: Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) has stressed the need for an integrated and systematic system for corona vaccine use, saying that national harmony should be demonstrated beyond politics, regionalism and self-interest.
PIMA Central President Dr Khubaib Shahid and General Secretary Dr Arshad Munir said in joint statement said, stages of government procurement of the vaccine, booking and delivery appeared to be slow.
According to the doctors organization, Legislation and oversight of all phases were urgently needed on delivery of vaccines to the private sector if the vaccine was to be kept within the purchasing power of the common man.
Stringent measures were needed to prevent black marketing and rising costs. They said government was commendable for launch of the current corona vaccine campaign, however, as being representative of doctors, PIMA wanted to draw the government’s attention to some issues in this regard.
It opined that the corona vaccine was the only ray of hope after Allah’s mercy to prevent the epidemic. It noted that although Pakistan lagged far behind most other countries in the race for vaccines, it hoped that the government would not leave the people alone in the journey to prevent this contagious disease.
“One of the most important aspects that needs to be addressed at this time is the establishment of an integrated and organized system in which steps are taken to transcend politics, regionalism and self-interest and to consider the life of every citizen as precious.
From Corona’s inception, the lack of political flexibility and uniform policy did not yield the desired benefits which could have been accrued. In the new situation, it said it expected the government and all sections of society to show national unity” they added.
PIMA leaders said that although the announcements of procurement corona vaccine by the central and provincial governments and the NCOC have been heard for a long time, it seemed that the government had not been able to formulate a clear policy.
They noted that though the vaccine was currently the most sought after item in the world, there had seen a slowdown in all stages of order placement, booking and delivery. Even after many months, there were questions still need not answered such as; which vaccine will be procured and when? What will the quantity be? When will the private sector receive it? Though answers to these questions were decided a few months ago nothing was clear. In this regard PIMA urged the government to announce a clear policy with regard to vaccines.
PIMA President and GS advised that the first supply of Corona vaccine be reserved for health care workers which includes all medical staff besides doctors and nurses who take care of Corona and other patients in general. This should also include those serving in private sector.
PIMA said, it could be expected that when vaccination begins, there may be unpleasant incidents of rush and overcrowding, irregularities and nepotism in vaccine centers, prevention of which was also the primary responsibility of the central and provincial governments.
PIMA added that the government also had a responsibility to make full use of the media to dispel doubts about the effectiveness of the vaccine. Reliable, experienced and senior doctors need to give a positive message to the people. A helpline should also be set up to allay public suspicions. In this regard, PIMA announce that its own public awareness campaign against COVID was not only ongoing but also being further expanded.