End hoarding of vaccine
What you need to know:
- Health is a devolved function and the 47 counties should be in forefront in ensuring that the people access the vital medication.
- There is damming data on some counties’ performance since vaccination began following the arrival of the first consignment of AstraZeneca doses.
The counties are once again in the news for the wrong reason. Notorious for wanton wastage of resources, corruption and laxity in the delivery of services, the devolved units are being accused of hoarding Covid-19 vaccines following the rollout just over a month ago of the campaign to curb the spread of the deadly respiratory disease.
The biggest irony is that health is a devolved function and the 47 counties should be in forefront in ensuring that the people access the vital medication.
There is damming data on some counties’ performance since vaccination began following the arrival of the first consignment of a million doses of AstraZeneca imported by the government. It’s unbelievable that less than 500 doses of the jabs have been administered so far in some counties. At this rate, bringing the pandemic under control is a gargantuan task.
The Ministry of Health has established that there is reluctance in some counties to release what they already have until they receive the supplies for the second phase of the drive. There is a fair amount of ignorance and fear of the unknown.
Delivery of health services
Lamu County, for example, which received 1,500 doses of AstraZeneca, had by late last week vaccinated only 461 people. It is the same case in several other counties. Also compounding the problem are public health facilities and vaccination centres whose staff are engaging in underhand dealings.
This means the officials in the affected counties are not giving this grave health scourge the attention it seriously deserves. It is encouraging, however, that the National Task Force on Vaccine Deployment and Vaccinations is addressing the issue. The team is also keenly monitoring the supplies and topping up shortfalls confirmed through its Chanjo electronic system.
It is important that the uptake of the vaccine is boosted through cooperation with the county health departments. The counties, as has been pointed out in numerous times, lack the capacity to effectively handle health services. The ongoing hoarding of vaccines is further confirmation of this. The Covid-19 vaccination campaign presents an opportunity to begin to streamline the delivery of health services.
