Association of Medical Specialists in Sri Lanka in a press release says there are Attempts to create disharmony among front line health care workers by undue interference in Covid-19 vaccination program. It is extremely sad to notice that our country of “vaccination fame” failing to meet expectations of our own citizens and international organizations with sub optimal performance in Covid-19 vaccination programme.
This matter has been explicitly stated by the College of Community physicians of Sri Lanka in their press release dated 22.05.2021.
We have witnessed manipulations and interference by various powerful personnel (political and official) disappointing and offending ordinary general public about this program. Confounding it further, we have come to know that a powerful medical trade union has begun it’s process of registering families of their membership to obtain the vaccine, especially the second dose of AstrZeneca vaccine, on a preferential basis disregarding all other categories of frontline health workers.
We urge authorities to adhere to a scientific and equitable methodology in distributing the vaccine. Until we secure vaccines for all eligible citizens of this country, we are of the opinion that prioritization should only be based on a scientific assessment of “exposure risk” and certainly not the rank or position in the health sector.
If a rational approach is not adopted, all powerful trade unions in the public sector will be up in arms demanding equal privilege for their families resulting in absolute chaos.
We wish to advise authorities to adhere to sound, scientific and transparent prioritization protocol practiced in many countries for this process.
Finally, we would like to reiterate that scientifically sound vaccination policy is the need of the hour to prevent possible disharmony amongst front line health care workers at this critical juncture.
