KARACHI: The vaccination process at the Expo Centre — the country’s biggest mass immunisation centre against coronavirus — was suspended on Saturday after data entry operators went on strike, forcing many people to leave for home without getting vaccinated.

The staff claimed that they had not been paid their salaries for three months.

Sources said the doctors, nurses and entire staff currently working at the Expo Centre were hired on a contractual basis and getting their monthly salaries in time except the data entry operators hired through a third party.

“The delay in salaries has resulted mainly because the party concerned hasn’t shared details of its staff employed at the vaccination facility,” said health department spokesperson Atif Vighio.

He added that the department had asked the party to help expedite the documentation process for salary payment and the staff would be paid soon.

Doctors and nurses, he pointed out, were being paid salaries in time as they had been appointed directly by the health department.

“The process of inoculation was briefly suspended as few staff members went on protest. The operation fully resumed after the staff was assured by the shift in-charge that the department would look into their grievances immediately,” he said.

A total of 458 nurses, also acting as vaccinators, and 38 doctors are working in shifts at the mass vaccination facility. The number of data entry operators is over 150.

Each shift has an estimated 360 health workers to administer the Covid-19 vaccines.

It was in December when Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho hinted at turning the Karachi Expo Centre into a coronavirus vaccination centre. The minister had also visited the centre to review the proposal and get a briefing from experts about the possibility of the plan. The facility was finally launched this year in May.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2021