Dr Faisal pays surprise visits to vaccination centres

Islamabad : With the second phase of vaccination against Covid-19 underway, the PM’s Special Assistant on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan paid surprise visits to the capital’s three public sector hospitals—Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), CDA Hospital, and Polyclinic Hospital—to inspect arrangements for vaccination following yesterday’s ruckus at PIMS.

Dr. Faisal visited the vaccination centres in all three hospitals and examined available arrangements for vaccination of citizens aged 60 years and above. He interacted with senior citizens who were present for immunization and briefly spoke to them about the benefits vaccination. The SAPM instructed the staff of the vaccination centres to ensure provision of seamless services to citizens. He said, public interest in vaccination has prompted the government to increase the number of vaccination centres and staff manning these centres. He said, the government is taking all practical measures to protect its citizens from Covid-19.

“I urge the public to come forward for vaccination, and to strictly adhere to all SOPs,” Dr. Faisal stated. He conceded that some mismanagement had occurred at PIMS a day before, but arrangements are constantly being improved upon. “The centres are not as crowded as they were yesterday. Hundreds of people have been vaccinated at PIMS in a disciplined manner. We hope to further improve existing arrangements over time. Hospital administrations have been advised to ensure sign posting etc. for public facilitation,” he concluded.

Talking to this scribe, the Joint Executive Director of PIMS Dr. Minhaj us Siraj said, “PIMS has shifted the newly renovated OPD building into a vaccination centre with state-of-the-art reception counters and staff to cater for any number of patients reporting for vaccination.” Commenting on the chaos witnessed at PIMS a day earlier, he said, “It happened on account of the schedules for one single date being issued to an excessive number of elderly patients.”

According to latest data, PIMS has so far received 5,820 doses of Sinopharm vaccine, of which 1,500 doses were issued in the last 24 hours. As many as 374 doses of the vaccine were administered in the last 24 hours; 299 recipients received the first dose while 75 received the second. Aside from 163 senior citizens who were immunized in the last 24 hours, the vaccine was administered to 35 walk-in patients, 30 scheduled patients from different health facilities, and 309 patients from within PIMS. Updated data for the rest of the hospitals in Islamabad was not available till the filing of this report. However, as of March 10, CDA Hospital, Federal General Hospital, and Polyclinic had administered 1,596, 1,071, and 1,046 doses respectively, of the vaccine.