Criminal negligence

For a country where one child in every 10 does not live past the age of five, criminal negligence is often perpetrated when it comes to children’s healthcare. In an unforgivable act of carelessness, $3.7 million worth of vaccines went to waste in Islamabad only because they were not stored at the right temperature. The vaccines were exposed to fluctuating temperatures, possibly because of faulty generators. It is not clear how many children will be affected by this, but it can safely be said that hundreds of thousands will not be receiving the vaccine because of the incompetence of certain authorities. The ruined vaccines were pentavalent vaccines, which are meant to protect children against five diseases that include diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and bacteria that cause meningitis and pneumonia. These are deadly but treatable diseases that result in countless deaths each year. Yet, we fail to exhibit any seriousness in preventing avoidable deaths.

So far, two health officials have been suspended for the gross negligence but there is little reason to believe that this will be the last time such an incident happens or that further, stricter action will be taken after the inquiry into the matter is completed. There have been far too many acts of deadly negligence in the past with barely any consequences. This incident will most affect children from low-income households, which cannot afford private medication. Minister of State for Health Saira Afzal Tarar’s statement on the matter is not at all reassuring. She stated the incident may lead to an improvement in vaccine monitoring. This speaks volumes of the complete lack of realisation of the gravity of the event. The minister must realise that such incidents do not have any silver lining and there is no positive side to wasting precious medication. While the international community donates funds to help Pakistan protect its own, the country itself fails to make a more dedicated effort to improve healthcare. Such wastage of funds is a drain on global resources and does not only affect lives here, but of children around the world.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March  6^th,  2015.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.