ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) on Wednesday responded to a letter issued by Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) wherein it stated that the decision to allow private imports of Covid-19 vaccines by the incumbent government was a “deliberate policy tool”.
The allowance of privately imported vaccine would be used to facilitate the inculcation of those members of the society who are not yet part of the government’s mass vaccination programmes, NHS Secretary Aamir Ashraf Khawaja said in the letter.
“It was a well-concerned decision of the federal government to allow the private sector to import vaccine as the national vaccination priorities favoured the healthcare workers and the elderly, involving some lag in reaching other segments of the society.”
In the letter, it was stated that there initially had been no price set for imported vaccines, but the government had later decided to issue a provision of the Drug Pricing Policy which was applied to Covid vaccines “to keep a check on prices instead of leaving it solely to free-market dynamics”.
The NHS secretary pointed out that the government was fixing the maximum price and hoped that this would allow capitalistic competition and free-market dynamics to lower to the price of the vaccine in the private market.
Earlier, TIP had asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to cancel the policy of allowing private the sector to import the Covid-19 vaccine.
According to a letter to the premier in this regard, the global civil society organisation had said that governments all over the world are procuring and administering vaccines to their citizens for free as it is the state’s responsibility.
TIP Chairperson Justice (r) Nasira Iqbal had pointed out that Pakistan is one of the first countries to allow the private sector to import and sell Covid-19 vaccines, a move that will provide a window of corruption.
“The government’s vaccines may be sold to private hospitals,” the letter had warned.
Separately, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan on Wednesday said that the government believed in merit, transparency and good governance.
The digitisation of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), with the introduction of e-offices, was a major step towards the realisation of good governance and transparency, he added.
Dr Faisal was addressing the ceremony to handing over of management system documents to DRAP and inauguration of its e-office through video-link.
He said that decades-old record of DRAP would now be accessible after its digitalisation, which was undoubtedly a great achievement. The instant delivery of services and getting information could only be made possible through system automation, he added.
Dr Faisal stressed that in the modern age, people were improving their products or getting their required services and products through a single click.
He added that the trace and track system would help other institutions save their precious time and resources. The government would eliminate corrupt practices in institutions by introducing a sophisticated and transparent system, the SAPM stated.
Appreciating the induction of the Pakistan Integrated Information Management System in DRAP, digitisation of its record and opening of its e-office, the SAPM thanked the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for extending their technical support to make it possible.
Moreover, the World Health Organisation (WHO) in a telephonic conversation assured SAPM Dr Faisal that it is working with vaccine manufacturers to ensure the drug is delivered to all countries despite “supply challenges”.
“WHO and the COVAX partners are committed to delivering vaccines to all countries despite supply challenges,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted after a phone call with Dr Faisal.
The WHO chief added that by speeding up the process, COVAX will be able to “expand its portfolio and deliver doses quicker and in larger quantities” to all countries.
“I had a very productive conversation last evening with Dr Tedros on Covid vaccine supply chain especially via GAVI to maintain an adequate and consistent availability, across the world,” said Dr Faisal in the morning.
Currently, Pakistan is vaccinating the country’s healthcare workers and people over the age of 60 after launching the vaccination drive on February 2.
Pakistan is using the Sinopharm vaccine developed by state-run China National Pharmaceutical Group, which has shown to be 79 per cent efficacy.
Meanwhile, Indus Hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Abdul Bari Khan stressed the need to wear a face mask and observe other safety precautions against the coronavirus even after getting vaccinated against the deadly disease.
Addressing a seminar titled “Business responses to Covid-19 pandemic” organised by the National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH), he said that observance of the safety precautions against the deadly infectious disease remained compulsory even after vaccination as the human body required some days after the inoculation to develop the immune system against the coronavirus.
He informed the audience of the seminar that the scientific data available so far showed that all forms of vaccines invented against the coronavirus were effective against the highly contagious disease as the use of any of them provided the necessary protection against the pandemic.
“There are chances that one could contract coronavirus infection even after vaccination but in that case, the severity of the disease would be mild with very fewer chances of fatality,” said Dr Khan.
He added that a face mask should become a compulsory feature of the dress of both men and women. “It is a good sign that some of the leading clothing brands have introduced the option of fashionable face masks matching with the women dresses,” he said.
Sindh Minister for Information, Science and Technology Taimur Talpur, who was the chief guest on the occasion, recalled that Sindh had become the first province in the country to impose the lockdown in March last year to timely tackle the spread of the coronavirus disease.
He said that the Sindh government had worked hard and developed the necessary testing, isolation, quarantine, and treatment facilities to tackle the situation of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He also said that other provinces followed Sindh and took similar steps to ensure the protection of people in their respective areas against the viral disease.
As many as 1,774 cases of coronavirus were reported in Punjab on Wednesday while the pandemic claimed nine precious lives which turned the death toll to 6,046.
According to the data shared by the spokesperson for Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (PP&SHD), the number of coronavirus cases in the province reached 202,743.
The PP&SHD confirmed that 1184 new cases were reported in Lahore, one in Kasur, 22 in Sheikhupura, two in Nankana Sahib, 78 in Rawalpindi, 24 in Jehlum, one in Chakwal, 31 in Gujranwala, 15 in Mandi Bahauddin, eight in Narowal, two in Hafizabad, 67 in Sialkot, 35 in Gujrat, 97 in Faisalabad, 15 in Toba Tek Singh, 11 in Chineot, four in Jhang, 11 in Sargodha, one in Mianwali, one in Bhakkar, 46 in Multan, seven in Vehari, 15 in Khanewal, two in Lodharan, one in Layyah, one Rajanpur, 11 in Rahim Yar Khan, 28 in Bahawalpur, 10 in Bahawalnagar, 14 in Okara, nine in Pakpatan and 15 new cases were reported in Sahiwal district.
The Punjab Health Department has conducted 3,684,764 tests for the Covid-19 so far
while 178,942 confirmed cases had been recovered. The Punjab health department urged the masses to follow SOPs for their protection and cover their faces with masks besides
washing their hands with soap several times a day to protect themselves from the
disease.
Contact 1033 immediately on symptoms of coronavirus, the health care department urged people.
As many as 89 policemen in Sindh have tested positive for Covid-19 during the last 10 days over the last week, PPI reported on Wednesday.
According to a Sindh police report, a total of 6,339 police officers and personnel have so far tested positive for coronavirus across Sindh since the outbreak of the deadly disease. The report further said that 24 policemen had died of Covid-19 far.
The number of virus patients under treatment is 80 while 6,339 police officers and personnel have recovered to date.
The report said that the policemen hit by the coronavirus are being fully looked after and steps on daily basis are being taken for them.
30 deaths and 3m301 cases of Coronavirus infections were reported across the country during the last 24 hours.
According to the latest statistics of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the total death toll from the pandemic mounts to 13,965.
There are now 38,849 active cases in the country. Total 5,86,228 people have so far been affected by the virus in the country.
