Low vax rate anti-thesis to virus curb goal: Joykisan
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, May 11 2021: Stating that the state government has been making loud voice asking people to vaccinate so as to prevent spread of COVID-19 but people are returning empty handed when they go for vaccination due to exhaustion of stock of Covid vaccine, Thangmeiband MLA Kh Joykisan has questioned when will the vaccination exercise in Manipur be completed when only 150 people are vaccinated per day at a particular health centre.

Raising this issue in a video recording released on Tuesday question, MLA Joykisan also said a white paper on the modality of state health department's vaccination exercise and the roadmap for the exercise need to be produced.

The Opposition MLA pointed out that vaccination must be done at hospitals or health centres recognised by the government and the government is claiming that there is no shortage of vaccine.

Accordingly, vaccination for the people of Thangmeiband AC is currently being done at PHC Tarung but only 150 people could be vaccinated per working day.

Thangmeiband has around 15,000 people who are above 45 years of age and it would take around four months minus holidays and Sundays to complete vaccination of these 15,000 people while second dose for this category of people would take eight months.

If the vaccination exercise continues in the same manner for people aged 18-45 years, it would take one and half year to complete, Joykisan observed.

Asking if government has no vaccine stock or money to purchase vaccine, MLA Joykisan said that the government should make clear on the matter so that vaccine could be purchased with contributions from the public.

He pointed out that contributions from public in kind and cash helped in distributing relief materials to public in the first wave of the pandemic.

While asserting that there is no bigger war than the current one and government should take up action on a war footing, Joykisan said that vaccination exercise should be done with a target.

He also questioned current mode of vaccination exercise by the state health department and termed the current exercise as a failure.

During the first wave of the pandemic, contact tracing of positive people were conducted promptly and patients were picked up by ambulance and transported to either Covid care centre or hospitals but all these have been stopped in the second wave, Joykisan said and asked if there is shortage of manpower in the second wave.

Given the current rate of positive people and deaths per day in the tiny state, the matter need to be taken in a very serious manner and lapses, if any, for high number of deaths could be easily known by making enquiry of the victims' families, he said, adding that formation of the hospital admission committee by the government could be one reason for increasing number of deaths as approval of the committee is mandatory for hospital referral.

Asking as to how poor people could get referral for hospital admission, Joykisan informed that seven people tested positive in Thangmeiband AC on Monday and they had to wait for several hours for getting approval for sheltering in Covid Care Centre at Bal Bhawan, Khuman Lampak.

In such circumstances, Covid patients would die before reaching hospital, he maintained.

The Opposition MLA also suggested hiring of school vans if there is shortage of ambulance by formulating a policy and ensuring equal rate of Covid treatment at government and private hospitals as poor patients would not be able to afford treatment in private hospitals.

While praying for those succumbed to the virus to remain in peace in the heavenly abode, Joykisan said that TAKDO is extending help to people of Thangmeiband affected by the pandemic as did in the first wave and appealed to contact volunteers through mobile Nos 7005130267, 7005051389, 7630965606, 8415097601, 8794928952 or 9856157269 for relief materials.

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