Several vaccine centers keep closed jab seekers on huge sufferings

Reza Mahmud :
Despite the health authorities’ announcement of keeping open, several covid vaccination centers were found closed on Friday and it created huge sufferings for hundreds of jab seekers who returned after waiting for a long time.
“We were informed that covid vaccination centers will remain open on Friday. As there are huge rush were witnessed for last several days, I reached the center early in the morning after Fazr prayer and stood in queue at Rampura High School vaccination center. But after long time at 9:30 a new announcement came that inoculation had been suspended for the day. How a mockery with the public is it! Why they informed us yesterday that the vaccination would take place on Friday?” said Nazma Begum, a private company service holder at Rampura.
On Thursday, a notification of the Directorate General of Health Services signed by Dr Shamsul Haque, Member-Secretary the National Vaccine Deployment Taskforce said that vaccination centers will remain open on Friday for inoculating people as there is huge response found among the people in this regards.
Nazma Begum said that she had very little chance other than Friday for jab. So that she became happy after hearing that the inoculation would remain open on Friday, but finally it was not opened.
Expressing frustration she said that everyone should hold on their responsibility.
Witnesses including shop keepers of the area said hundreds of jab seekers stood in long queue for getting a covid vaccine since the early morning.
The vaccination was supposed to start from 9:00 am.
But School staff Sirajuddin Sarkar announced at 9:30 am by loud speaker that the inoculation campaign would not take place on the day.
He asked all to come on Saturday for getting the jab.
Like Nazma Begum, several hundred jab seekers waited for hours and expressed their anger and frustration while leaving the center.
Meanwhile, Hajee Md. Liakat Ali, councilor of the area (Ward-22 ) of Dhaka North City Corporation told journalists that he was not informed about keeping the vaccination campaign open on Friday.
Similar incident happened at Malibagh Chowdhury-para Dabanol Club vaccination center in the capital.
There were also hundreds of vaccine seekers who returned home after waiting hours without getting a jab on Friday as the center had not opened finally.
Besides, hundreds of the people failed to get a jab on the day in Moddhya Badda Bepari tower areas vaccination center in the DNCC’s Ward-21.
The jab seekers returned home with frustration and bitterness as they stood hours but failed to see any vaccination worker there.
Masum Goni, councilor of the area (Ward-21) of DNCC also said that he was not informed about keeping vaccination open on the day.
When contacted, Dr Shamsul Haque, Member-Secretary of DGHS’s National Vaccine Deployment Taskforce told The New Nation on Friday, “The crisis areas like Narayangonj and other inoculation centers were opened on the day. But some centers kept close as they might not be aware.”
He said that failed persons will get their jabs on Saturday when about one crore of the people is our target.