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‘Listless’ vaccination: Workers want presidential inquiry

28 May 2021

By Pamodi Waravita   The Academy of Health Professionals, an organisation of professionals in the health service, has requested a presidential inquiry into anti-Covid-19 vaccination that has allegedly occurred outside of the predetermined priority list. This was disclosed by Academy of Health Professionals President Ravi Kumudesh at a press conference held yesterday (27). “The Health Ministry is now saying that the remaining doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India should be given to the family members of the health sector. Does the Ministry not understand that the family members of the health sector were not in the first priority list for the first dose? How, then, are they getting the second dose?” he questioned, adding that health services are not provided exclusively by doctors. Frontline workers of the health sector, the Tri-Forces, and parliamentarians were given the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine early this year. Protests occurred throughout the week, where a number of health unions and the public in various places criticised the alleged vaccination of the family members of the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA), whilst other frontline workers such as the public health inspectors (PHIs) are yet to receive the second dosage of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine. Although Sri Lanka has administered 925,242 vaccines of the first dosage of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine and 338,493 doses of its second dosage as of 24 May, the country is yet to confirm the procurement of enough doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine to administer the remaining second dosages. The Government has stated that it is in continuous discussions with a number of foreign governments to secure the remaining doses as soon as possible.


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