Distribution of Covid-19 vaccine: SHC issues notices to NCOC, Health Ministry

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the National Command and Operation Centre, the Ministry of Health and others on a petition seeking proper mechanism for the import and distribution of COVID-19 vaccine so that all citizens could easily take the vaccine.

Nadeem Sheikh and others submitted in the petition that Pakistan confirmed supplies of roughly 15.85 million COVID-19 doses of the SINOPHARM and Oxford University’s AstraZeneca vaccines (both requiring two doses per person) arriving through Chinese government grants and the Covax initiative by the end of May.

They submitted that it came to the knowledge of the petitioner that Pakistan’s government has also authorized the private sector to acquire government-approved vaccine for sale, although no company has yet been able to do so due to the shortage of global vaccine supplies.

The petitioners’ counsel submitted that the current healthcare scenario is unsatisfactory as Pakistan is a highly-populated country, requiring a high level of sustained medical facilities and the current scenario of disease transmission in the country is of greater concern. He submitted that the distribution of vaccines will remain equitable if there is a shortage of free government vaccines and an open private market.

He submitted that the provincial governments seem least interested in implementing the 18th Amendment even after the passage of eight years and the provinces have not even shown interest in discussing the procedures, not to say of legislation aimed at implementation of the amendment. Pakistan has no institutional structure responsible for the health sector at the federal level.

Regarding the prices of COVID-19 vaccines in the country, he submitted that the price for Russia's Sputnik V vaccine has been fixed at Rs 8,449 for two doses and for China's vaccine at Rs 4,225 per jab, while in the neighbouring country, the price of per dose of vaccine is between Rs 700-800 and the global price of the said vaccine is only $10 per doze.

He submitted that it has also come into knowledge that laboratories conducting COVID-19 tests are not performing according to the standard set by the World Health Organization and even a patient with ordinary flue and fever is declared positive for corona, creating a hazardous situation in Pakistan.

He submitted that it is necessary that the court interfere in the matter and pass an appropriate order for the legislation of proper criteria to establish a proper mechanism for the import and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines so that each and every citizen could easily take the vaccine.

The court was requested to direct the NCOC, the Federal Health Ministry and others to conduct an impartial investigation into the matter and file their respective inquiry reports before the court.

The petitioners requested the court to direct the federal government to keep check and balance on the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines so that each and every citizen receive the vaccine without any difficulty and also keep the price of the vaccine according to WHO-approved rates.

SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar, after preliminary hearing of the petition, issued notices to the NCOC, the Health Ministry, the Drug Regulatory Authority and others and called their comments on April 6.