Health Ministry fails to deliver Sinopharm to Viharamaha Devi Park

Army sees attempts to sabotage its vaccination drive

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Thousands of people who arrived at the Viharamaha Devi Park to get vaccinated had been turned away yesterday as the Health Ministry had not delivered Sinopharm vaccine, a spokesman for the Army said.

The officer said that the Epidemiology Unit of the Health Ministry was responsible for distributing the vaccines.

It was the latest in a series of attempts to sabotage the Army’s vaccination drive, the spokesman said.

“From the beginning senior ministry officers and some powerful unions were against the Army being involved in the inoculation process.

The health system was in serious trouble but health officials had not sought the support of the military to help the public,” he said.

Images are being circulated on social media about the state of COVID-19 wards, he said. A number of people are being treated outside.

“We could come in and build temporary shelters to treat the patients. This is not something we have seen before. It’s time we work together to fight the pandemic. This is no time to undermine each other,” he said.