LAHORE: Around 900 doses of corona vaccine have been misappropriated and wasted in two hospitals in Lahore.
According to details, as many as 550 COVID-19 vaccine doses have allegedly been disappeared from the stock in the Services Hospital while 350 jabs have been wasted owing to poor storage in the Mozang Hospital, a tehsil headquarters hospital. Hospital sources say as many as 550 doses of vaccines have been missing from the official record of the Services Hospital. These doses have allegedly been administered to bigwigs, close friends and relatives during the tenure of former medical superintendent Dr Saleem Cheema in the hospital.
The sources claim that these vaccines have been administered to some VIPs and bureaucrats at their residences and federal minister Tariq Bashir Cheema and his family members are probably among the beneficiaries. The netizens, the other day, criticised the federal minister for jumping the queue, as the video of him and his family members getting vaccine shots at his residence went viral on social media. Senior leader of Punjab’s Young Doctors Association Dr Salman Haseeb has also confirmed that as many as 550 doses of COVID-19 vaccines meant for doctors and healthcare workers have secretly been administered to ministers, politicians, bureaucrats, judges and other civil and military personalities.
“More than 150 doctors and other healthcare workers have contracted coronavirus in the Services Hospital alone, many of whom are still in the process of completing their quarantine period in isolation in the hospital, hostel rooms and at home,” he said. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health Sciences (UHS) has earlier denied reports of administering vaccine to the federal minister and his family, saying that these are not available at the university. SIMS/SHL Principal Prof Dr Muhammad Amjad denies the vaccine doses have been disappeared or administered to the influential and says it is a case of negligence in maintaining the official record of COVID-19 vaccine.
“The hospital administration, however, will investigate the matter.” Newly-appointed MS of the Services Hospital Dr Muhammad Zahid has expressed his ignorance about the theft or out-of-turn vaccination of influential personalities in ruling and government circles, saying all happened during the tenure of his predecessor. However, he says he will hold an inquiry and fix the responsibility. Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has expressed his anger over the alleged disappearance of coronavirus vaccines from the Services Hospital and directed the Special Healthcare and Medical Education Department (SHC&MED) to hold an inquiry into the matter.
Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid told the media Wednesday that the government was going to hold a proper audit of the use of 550 vaccine doses in the Services Hospital, saying that the report would be made public in the next few days. “The hospital’s MS has been removed for failing to maintain the record.” Former MS of Services Hospital Dr Saleem Shahzad Cheema says that the record of the vaccines was available, but unfortunately it could not be uploaded on the website of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) which caused confusion.
In the Mozang Hospital, as many as 350 vaccine doses have been wasted owing to poor storage. Health officials say as many as 350 vaccines vials handed over to the THQ hospital for the healthcare workers go waste because of their storage in freezing temperature. “The hospital administration has been stopped from administering the vaccine,” say SHC&ME Department officials.
The MS of the Mozang Hospital says the department has stopped him from administering the vaccine. “The vaccines will be proper examined.” SHC&MED Secretary Nabeel A. Awan says that the department has initiated an inquiry into the waste of COVID-19 vaccines at the Mozang Hospital to fix the responsibility, and report will be submitted to the chief minister coming Monday. “Strict action will be taken against those responsible for such a criminal negligence.”
China had gifted 500,000 Sinopharm vaccines to Pakistan earlier in March this year. A single vaccine shot costs around $13 in the international market. The Pakistani government has been administering COVID-19 vaccine jabs to frontline health workers, doctors and staff of other specialties followed by old people above the age of 60 in three phases, respectively. Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid in a statement on Wednesday said that Pakistan would soon receive another one million doses of the vaccine from China in the coming days. In this regard, she said, the Punjab government has started registration of people above the age of 50 years for vaccination. “The vaccination campaign will further be expedited,” she said.