Dr Azra warns health workers refusing vaccine of being fired

Sindh’s health minister has once again warned the healthcare workers who have been refusing the Covid-19 vaccine that they can lose their jobs, saying that they are among the few fortunate people in the world who have not only been offered the vaccine free of charge but also on a priority basis.

Dr Azra Pechuho said in her video message on Thursday that 142,315 healthcare workers had gotten themselves registered with the National Immunisation Management System for the COVID-19 vaccination, and 33,356 of them are yet to get themselves vaccinated. “I urge all the remaining healthcare workers to get themselves vaccinated at the earliest.”

Pakistan’s health authorities have planned to vaccinate 1.2 million healthcare workers across the country against Covid-19 with the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm, but hardly 30 to 35 per cent of them have gotten themselves vaccinated because, according to officials, a large number of them have been exhibiting reluctance.

This is the second time that the provincial health minister has threatened to sack the health department employees who refuse to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Last month she had warned of firing all the employees refusing vaccination, pointing out that their refusal would not only endanger the lives of people but also add to the healthcare system’s burden in the province.

In her latest message she said that some healthcare workers might be reluctant to get vaccinated because of some fake news and disinformation regarding the vaccine, adding that she herself had been injected with the first dose of the vaccine a few days ago and felt no serious side effects. “Even the elderly in the age bracket of 80 to 90 years have been vaccinated without any adverse side effects. There might be minor side effects such as slight fever or lethargy, but this is to be expected from all vaccines and is perfectly normal and not a cause for alarm.”

If healthcare workers do not get themselves vaccinated, they risk infecting others because they might come into contact with asymptomatic Covid-19 patients, she pointed out. She made it clear that the healthcare workers who are refusing vaccination will not be allowed to practise because they will be endangering the lives of others by not protecting themselves.

“There are around 30 countries in the world that have not even begun the vaccination drive yet, so the healthcare workers in Sindh should make use of the opportunity to get themselves vaccinated while it’s available.”