Parliament, Friday, 14 May 2021 – The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, has noted with concern various chaotic scenes at Sisonke programme vaccination sites in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
“The chaotic scenes witnessed are unfortunate and require urgent remedial action, especially in the context of the impending roll-out of Phase 2 of the vaccination programme, what is even more worrying being the non-adherence to basic health protocols of social distancing and wearing of masks,” Dr Dhlomo emphasised.
The Chairperson is cognisant of the inevitability of teething challenges, especially when you roll-out a large-scale programme like the vaccination programme. Despite this, the need to urgently address those challenges to prevent any unintended consequences, similar to scenes witnessed, is necessary.
The scenes happened as the committee is preparing to undertake an oversight visit to the Northern Cape to assess the state of readiness to implement Phase 2 of the vaccination programme. “It is vitally important for the vaccination programme to be meticulous and orderly to ensure effective roll-out,” Dr Dhlomo emphasised.
As a result, the Chairperson will, through the committee, engage the Minister of Health to find out what caused the scenes witnessed and the remedial interventions necessary to ensure that this will not recur in the future.
“We remain confident that government together with the private sector can put in place adequate systems to ensure efficient roll-out. But the committee will continue its heightened oversight to ensure that any challenge is resolved,” Dr Dhlomo concluded.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, DR SIBONGISENI DHLOMO
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