As the world grapples with a resurgence of coronavirus infections, Bangladesh announced that the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech would be administered to migrant workers travelling to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in a bid to spare them the costs of quarantining in the Middle East.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque had said the inoculation drive would begin at seven centres in Dhaka on Thursday. But on the day, the vaccination process was marred by the lack of any clear directions from either the health or expatriates' welfare ministries.
Having spent thousands of takas to get their shots during the ongoing 'stringent' lockdown, droves of expatriates arrived at the seven hospitals with only their visas in hand. But much to their dismay, they learned that only those who had received an SMS from the government would be entitled to a vaccine shot.
Moreover, due to the 'unpreparedness' of the government's information technology department, many people could not register for the vaccine online. Others complained that they did not receive the SMS even after successfully completing the digital form, reports bdnews24.com.
Consequently, the vaccination centres were embroiled in chaos on Thursday. Frustrated at missing out on their shots, a group of disgruntled migrant workers launched into protests at the Kurmitola General Hospital.
In the absence of any public transport service during the lockdown, Sharif Ahmed, a Kuwait-based migrant worker, said he rented a microbus for Tk 11,000 to get to Dhaka from Sylhet's Golapganj. But his journey proved to be in vain as he could not get vaccinated.
“I have read reports in various media outlets that vaccine shots will be administered in seven hospitals in Dhaka. But after arriving here, we were told that we wouldn't be getting the shots."
During a visit to Kurmitola General Hospital, Expatriates' Welfare Minister Imran Ahmad said the vaccination process hit a snag as the confirmation SMS could not be sent out in an orderly fashion. He urged everyone to remain calm in order to find a solution.
Expanding on the prime minister's announcement regarding the vaccination of migrant workers, the minister explained, "The prime minister said we would make arrangements at seven hospitals. The operative term was 'would'. But it takes time to get the process underway."
Pointing out that the health directorate's 'Surokkha' website for vaccine regristation was facing technical issues, he said, "The ICT Division has asked for some time to resolve the issue. They said they would fix the matter on Sunday or Monday so that applicants could register directly."
"The Pfizer vaccine shot is only available at Kurmitola General Hospital right now. It will be given to other hospitals later.”
Imran urged migrant workers who have yet to register with the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) to do so quickly.
“Once you register with the BMET, your name and passport number will automatically be transferred to the health authorities. Then, the registration can be done by entering the passport number on the app (Surokkha). The app will also tell you which hospital to go to for the vaccine shot.”
Many migrant workers went to different vaccination centres without being properly informed about the registration process, said the health directorate's Line Director Dr Md Shamsul Haque.
“Migrant workers must register through the BMET if they want to take the vaccine. Expatriate workers can register at the BMET office in their district."
“When that list comes to us, we will verify it and forward it to the ICT Division. A final list will be drawn up after the ICT Division verifies the passport numbers. After that, the registration formalities must be completed on the Surokkha website. An SMS will then be sent to the applicant with the date and vaccination centre details."
So far, a list of about two and a half million migrants has been sent to the ICT Division, said Shamsul. Vaccine-seekers will be able to register from Jul 5 after the list is verified.
"The SMS will start going to their mobiles on Jul 5. Expatriates will be able to get vaccinated from the following day.”
Dr Shamsul said many people who had registered for the vaccine and received a confirmation SMS had been administer the Pfizer vaccine at seven centres on Thursday.