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Public Health Inspectors’ allege vaccine supply shortage

02 Sep 2021

  • Claim Kandy, Kurunegala, Matara, Galle centres affected
  • ‘Public informed of shortage after hours in queues’
  • Allege influential persons getting 18-30 group vaccinated 
BY Dinitha Rathnayake The Public Health Inspectors’ (PHIs) Union has alleged there is a shortage of Covid-19 vaccines supplied to public vaccination centres in several districts despite the country being in possession of adequate stocks of these vaccines. Speaking to The Morning, PHIs’ Union Secretary M. Balasooriya said that Kandy, Kurunegala, Matara, and Galle are among those districts. “Health officials and PHIs at the ground level face a huge problem related to this issue because they are the ones who face the public directly.”  According to Balasooriya, in certain districts, people are informed about the vaccine shortage after spending several hours in the queue to get the vaccine. “It is unfair for the public. Some people fight in the regional vaccination centres due to this issue. Some centres are not provided with the necessary quantity of vaccines.”  He also said that people who wait to get the second dose are the ones mostly affected by this shortage in the supply.  “The Government has no proper programme for vaccination. Priority was given to those who are above 60 years in the first phase of the vaccination programme. However, due to some people’s interference, officials decided to provide the vaccine for those in the 30-60 years age category. At the moment, the vaccination of none of these age groups has been completed. Those who are in the 60-plus age category are still dying due to the non-availability of the vaccines.”  He added that, therefore, one category should be totally completed before starting on another group.  In some areas, with the influence of influential persons of high rank, vaccination is carried out for those who are in the age category of 18-30, Balasooriya further claimed.  At a time where the vaccine supply process is not accurate, it is difficult to face these unnecessary problems, he explained. He also alleged that the system which records the people who have been vaccinated too is not accurate since some people tend to give false details in their consent papers.


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