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The Cosatu union federation and its health affiliate have criticized the government’s absence of a detailed vaccine implementation strategy, saying that the attempt by health minister Zweli Mkhize on Sunday to persuade the public that the government had the issue on its hands did not it was convincing.
“It is clear that we are dealing with colossal mismanagement of the vaccine procurement process and front-line workers, the elderly and people with comorbidities will pay with their lives,” Cosatu said in a statement.
Many union members are frontline healthcare workers or work in institutions such as prisons, schools and police and are at high risk of contracting the virus that causes Covid-19.
Mkhize and senior officials held a press conference Sunday to respond to criticism that SA has lagged behind in the vaccine race by failing to pre-order drug companies during the development phase. In the past four weeks, the government began negotiations with vaccine manufacturers, but has yet to secure a single direct order.
The only firm promise of a vaccine so far is through the joint Covax deal established for poor countries. SA will receive enough vaccine to inoculate 10% of the population, but only by April at the earliest.
“A strong and compelling vaccine procurement and distribution strategy should have been developed before and now. The government should start the implementation process and not make vague commitments, ”the federation said.
Mkhize and the officials gave details of the various structures that will govern the procurement of vaccines, as well as the committees established with the private sector to facilitate cross-subsidies.
“What the nation witnessed in [the] The incomprehensible report from the Minister of Health was about a leadership that has been caught sleeping in the face of a deadly pandemic ravaging the country. What the minister presented is nonsense and the country should not accept it. South Africans are familiar with blatant policy failures with deadly consequences, as we saw with the mismanagement of the AIDS pandemic, ”said Cosatu.
A plan with timelines and details of logistics was required to make the actual vaccines, but it was not presented, he said.
The National Union of Education, Health and Allied Workers (Nehawu), whose more than 250,000 members are on the front lines, was also scathing about the lack of details provided by Mkhize.
“The plan revealed by the minister was very scant in details and very ambiguous in terms of deadlines, especially in delivery dates. The minister’s plan did not have a clear logistical deployment plan for vaccination, for example in terms of training of doctors to vaccinate, geographic distribution of vaccination especially for vulnerable cohorts, etc.
“Like Nehawu, we believe that negotiations with vaccine manufacturers should have started a long time ago,” he said.
Solidaridad added its voice to Monday’s protest, demanding that the government speed up the supply of vaccines to health workers instead of waiting for the Covax process. Solidarity also sounded the alarm about the government’s plan to acquire the entire vaccine stock.
“The state cannot be in control while the private sector provides the finances. The state has a poor management record. During the pandemic, the government has repeatedly shown that it is not competent to take the initiative. It is this incompetence that has caused the delay in obtaining the vaccine, and the government should stay as far away as possible from this process, ”he said.
The Association of Mining Workers and Construction Union (Amcu) asked mining employers to directly purchase the vaccine for employees. The mining union said it was now clear that the public health system would not be able to start vaccination until mid-2021 and that therefore “the private sector should step up.”
“Amcu calls on all mining companies to dedicate the necessary resources to acquire the vaccine as soon as possible. Furthermore, we propose that this vaccination rollout includes the communities surrounding the mining operations, in order to curb the risk of possible contamination in and from the communities. He said.
The deputy director general of the Department of Health, Anban Pillay, has said that SA will have “a single contracting point” that will be administered by the national government and then distributed to both the public and private sectors.
Minerals Council SA spokesperson Charmane Russell said the industry is engaging with the government to “support and align with their plans regarding a vaccine launch.”
“It goes without saying that the mining industry will align itself with the priority guidelines adopted in the country as a whole. It should be noted that the government also made it clear that it will procure all Covid-19 vaccines for distribution: private sector organizations or medical schemes will not be able to procure independently for their own members, ”Russell said.
“The focus of the industry at the moment is on the prevention of Covid-19, which includes intensive examinations and tests when necessary, maintaining adequate hygiene and social distancing measures, as well as education to support behavior change. A vaccine is not an immediate panacea for the country and the industry; vaccines will not be freely available for some time, ”he said.
To update: January 4, 2021
This story has been updated to include comments from Minerals Council SA.
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