Temu: Make jab mandatory

By LULU MARK
THE Government has been urged to sanction mandatory vaccination for the people because the country’s vaccination rate remains the lowest in the world.
The suggestion was made in Parliament yesterday by Abau MP and former Health Minister Sir Puka Temu, who described the Government’s efforts to drive the vaccination programme as “dismal”.

“We have the lowest vaccination rate in the world. Health workers should come forward and get the vaccine,” he said.
“If I were on the other side (Government) I will (push) for mandatory vaccination.”
Sir Puka said the voluntary vaccination policy was “weak” and urged the Government to “improve” its vaccination drive.
He also advised the Government to develop a standard treatment protocol for the Coronavirus (Covid-19), which India had successfully used to quickly bring down its rate of infection this year.
He said medicine must be made available in the public health system.
Sir Puka said India had a very bad surge this year but it came up with the standard treatment protocol to address it.
“Covid-19 treatment drugs were sold over the counter which really helped in bringing the cases down,” he said.
He said medicine must be made accessible.
He claims that doctors in hospitals are writing prescriptions for medicine for Covid-19 patients to be bought at the private dispensaries.
“The doctors looking after the patients don’t have the medicine,” he said.
“This is happening in the pandemic.”
He said when the country did not have resources in the past, standard treatment protocols to treat diseases were developed which was applauded by the international community.
He said “the same can be done (now)”.
He advised Prime Minister James Marape to instruct the Health Department to quickly come up with the standard treatment protocol for the Covid-19.
He said the Covid-19 was a public health emergency hence the Government must buy medicine.
While some families can afford the cost of the medicines on the prescription given by doctors, many could not.