KARACHI: Provincial Minister for Information and Local Government Sindh Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that the Sindh government had immediately placed order to purchase two million cansino bio-vaccines dozes.
Sindh government would procure more dozes by cutting development and other expenditures so that the entire population of the province could be protected from this deadly disease, he said while addressing a press conference on Friday. Sindh Chief Minister’s Adviser on Law and Spokesperson Sindh Government Barrister Murtaza Wahab and Parliamentary Secretary for Health MPA Qasim Siraj Soomro were also present on the occasion.
Shah said that the Sindh Chief Minister had not proposed a complete lockdown in the NCOC meeting held on 31st March. He only suggested for ban on the inter-provincial movement of transport. The minister said that the covid positive cases were increasing on alarming level in the country, and today provincial task force meeting was held under the chair of Sindh Chief Minister to discuss the situation.
Sindh health minister and representative of WHO also attended the meeting. He said that Sindh government was fully implementing decision taken in the NCOC and strict measure was taken in the areas where positivity rate is increasing. He said that Sindh education Minister had been tasked to convene meeting to decide about the schools.
“Sindh government wanted to procure vaccine directly from China and allocated funds in this regard but due to delay in fixation of the price of the vaccine by DRAP, it was unable to purchase vaccine,” he said. DRAP has now fixed the price of the vaccine, after which we have placed order to procure 2 million doses,” he said.
Provincial Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that there were no reports from the federal government to buy the vaccine from its own funds and that it was dependent on vaccines donated by China. He said that journalists are also front line workers and vaccination facility would be provided them at the Press Club at the Divisional Headquarters level.
Law Advisor Barrister Murtaza Wahab said the effects of the third wave of covid-19 had reached alarming levels in Punjab, Islamabad, KPK and Azad Kashmir, where the positive cases rose to 14 to 15 per cent. Condition is better in Sindh and Balochistan. He said that the Sindh chief minister tried to persuade the prime minister to take tough decisions at the 31st March NCOC meeting.
The Sindh government has not proposed a complete lockdown. He said that the Sindh Chief Minister had requested for a ban on inter-provincial movement of people. The Sindh Chief Minister has also suggested the speeding up the vaccination process and removing the age bracket so that patients suffering from heart, cancer and kidney diseases could be vaccinated.
He said that Sindh government had been active in implementing covid SOPs in the province from day one. “We have sought permission from the federal government for purchasing vaccines from private companies. We are doing everything we can do to protect our population,” he said.
Replying to question, Shah said that Sindh government was ready to hold local bodies elections and they had almost completed legislation to empower local bodies institutions. In response to another question, he said that they welcome those who join the PPP. There are no criminal cases against those who joined the PPP. There is no laundry here. Clean and good reputation people from MQM are coming to our party. Our doors are open for them.
In response to a question, he said that they were going to launch a campaign against stray dogs immediately. Currently, Sindh government was working in collaboration with civil society and NGOs for vaccination of stray dogs. The opposition’s allegations are baseless. No funds have been set aside to neutralize dogs. He said that 40 senior officers of local government department had been suspended for negligence.