PWDs decry unfair distribution of Covid vaccines, want special inoculation centres

Persons with disabilities in greater Mukono have decried unfairness, discrimination and asked the government to involve them in the Covid-19 vaccination campaign.

This comes after many of them have allegedly been left out in the process.

Ms Mary Nakate, a resident of Nkokonjeru in Buikwe District, who is physically disabled said closing them out of the vaccination process, may frustrate government's efforts to control further spread of the virus.

She said the government has been distributing vaccines to various districts but the PWDs are not listed among the first to be inoculated as per the government programme yet they are also at high risk of contracting the virus.

"We are experiencing exclusion, discrimination and neglect during the response to the pandemic. We do not want this to be the case in dissemination of Covid-19 vaccinations," Ms Nakate said.

Ms Sarah Kizito, a visually impaired resident in Mukono District also said the government should consider extending the vaccination exercise to their villages since they are unable to move to specific health facilities inoculation.

"We request for door-to-door vaccination. We have our leaders who know us and can direct the health workers to our homes so we can get vaccinated," Ms Kizito said.

She urged the government to make additional efforts to protect the rights of persons with disabilities in responding to the pandemic and accessing vaccinations.

"Government must commit to ensure that Covid-19 vaccines are available and that treatments are safe, accessible and affordable to all Ugandans who need them," she added. 

Mr Laziyo Bilimuye, a councilor representing PWDs said they had asked the district Covid-19 taskforce and district health officials to help in extending the vaccination services to his colleagues.

“We have asked the government to allocate us special Covid-19 vaccination centres to enable the PWDs participate in the vaccination programme," he said.
He said majority of PWDs have not yet been vaccinated as a result of the high demand for the vaccine and that they face several challenges, including transport. Therefore, he advised the health teams to extend the vaccination process to the sub-counties and villages depending on the size of the area.

Ms Annet Nakanwagi, the woman councilor representing PWDs at the district level, said many PWDs missed out in the first vaccination exercise and have also not received in this second round due to several challenges, including transport difficulties.

"As I speak now, the district health team has informed us that already, the second dose is finished due to high demand from the population at the health facilities that vaccinate. However, we are not losing hope as we are going ahead to identify centers where our PWDs can be vaccinated in the next exercise," Ms Nakanwagi said.

She said unfair distribution of vaccines undermine the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

According to the chairperson of district council for PWDs in Mukono, Mr Godfrey Nkunda, there are over 20,000 PWDs who are yet to be vaccinated.

He said there are 15 vaccination centres in the whole district yet these are not enough for the general population and have asked the district heads to set up more centres at sub-county levels to see that PWDs also benefit.

"There is no way a person with disability can move for more than eight kilometers to access vaccination due to difficulties of transport. Others lack equipment," he said.

"The decision as to who should receive priority consideration for the vaccine should be based on appropriate criteria that are in line with human rights standards and norms," he added. 

On the other hand, Mr Apollo Mukasa, the executive director of Uganda National Action on Physical Disabilities (UNAPD), said the government has not prioritized nor encouraged the PWDs to go for testing and vaccination. He noted that the Ministry of Health is always calling on the elderly, women and the youth to go for the vaccination exercise but not PWDs.

"Even when the government called on the essential people to go for the vaccination, PWDs were not mentioned anywhere, leaving us out of the vaccination campaign," Mr Mukasa said.

He said they are more susceptible to catching Covid-19 than any other people but a lot is desired to be done to have them inoculated.

"I tried to go to Kololo in Kampala for vaccination but people were crowded and there was no way a PWD could struggle with the other people to get access to the vaccine," he said.

He said ever since Covid-19 broke out in Uganda, there has been less priority given to the PWDs, including other programmes such as Covid information, food relief and cash, among others.

However, the Ministry of Health spokesperson, Mr Emmanuel Ainebyoona asked the PWDs to reach out to the nearest vaccination centres to be inoculated.

"If they are able to access the vaccine then let them go for it because there is no other outreach. For now, we have designated vaccination centers and PWDs should try out to go for the vaccines," he said.

He also refuted claims that PWDs had been discriminated in the vaccination exercise. He noted that whenever they call out for categories of people like the health workers, the elderly, security officers and teachers, then PWDs are inclusive.

So far, only 1,297, 726 vaccine doses have been administered since the outbreak of the virus, according to government.

The ministry on Tuesday said the virus infections had risen to 118,900 after 123 more people tested positive for covid-19 on August 22, 2021.

Two people also succumbed to the virus as the death toll rose to 2,962 since march last year when the virus outbreak was confirmed in the country. So far, there are 366 active cases on admission in different health facilities across the country.