THIS refers to the letter ‘Lunch amid pandemic’ (April 10) which complained of long lunch breaks and incompetence at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) Covid vaccination facility.

I am a Canadian national visiting Pakistan and my vaccination experience at the JPMC was second to none in the world. I made sure I wore two masks, carried a fresh bottle of sanitizer and decided to be prepared for an experience I wished I could avoid.

But my preconceived notions were thrown out of the window the minute we passed through the gates and drove down to the auditorium that is currently used as the vaccination centre. Guards stood at the entrance to guide the cars into the parking lot for drop-off. Rangers stood near the doors of the centre securing the vicinity. Social distancing patches were painted on the walkway leading to the vaccination centre.

Inside, a guard held the door open, and everything there was unlike everything I had imagined. High ceilings with fans and lighting were impressive. Ceiling-to-floor windows made of mesh kept the entire hall very well ventilated. Proper labelling of each step of the vaccination helped guide the people. Metal tables with water dispensers and hand sanitizers were placed around the hall. Registration tables were stationed on one side, following by the code verification step and ended with the issuance of vaccination cards.

The vaccination cubicles were positioned at the other end of the hall. Neat rows of chairs were laid out across the cubicles for people to wait for their turn.

The entire process took about 30 minutes. There was no pushing, no pulling, no agitated team members or frustrated people.

To sum it up, the facility was well-organised, well-planned and impressive. This experience has forever changed my perception of JPMC; commendable and impressive!

Wajiha Tariq
Karachi

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2021