By Bright Kaana
Fully vaccinated Ugandans who are yet to receive vaccination cards are seeking explanation from the ministry of health over the matter.
Some of Ugandans who are fully vaccinated but have no vaccination cards to show are being denied some incentives especially where the cards are a pre-requisite for attaining the service.
Ismail Kabogozza Junior is one of the many Ugandans who have been frustrated due to failure to possess a vaccination card. He was recently denied entry into Malaba border post because he never had a covid-19 vaccination card. He says that authorities at the border require some one to present a vaccination card before they can check in the system.
“I was vaccinated from here in Kireku. They injected us and after gave us mere papers with a stamp. When I wanted to go to Malaba, authorities at the border refused these papers and asked me to present a genuine card to proceed,’’ Kabogoza explains.
Rehema Namayanja a domestic worker has been visiting Kireku Health center iii in pursuit of her vaccination card but the only positive answer she gets is a promise and an advice to come back or check the following day. When she made up her mind to travel in search of greener pastures abroad, Namayanja was blocked at the ministry of internal affairs. She could not present a valid covid-19 vaccination cards.
‘’I have come here to pick my vaccination card. They vaccinated me and asked me to come back for the vaccination card thereafter. I want the card because I need to travel abroad for work. They need this card to allow me proceed,’’ she explains.
Unlike the rest, Muzafaru Mayende only received one jab and wasn’t given any card for it. He too is waiting for Kireku health center and the ministry of health to bail him out. He says that his job requiresto visit different offices some of which are now inaccessible without a vaccination card.
‘’My boss sends me to different offices and nowadays they ask for the vaccination cards when I have nothing to present. It is quite frustrating,’’ he says.
According to Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the Public relations officer at the ministry of health, travelers are supposed to be issued with Vaccination certificates which are downloaded from the Epivac system.
‘’That Person should have gone to the Epivac system and download their certificate but when you are injected after vaccination, you are supposed to be given a vaccination card but we note of challenges where health centers have not be able to give out cards due to stock out of these cards but normally the national medical stores supplies the cards along with the vaccines.
Article 23 of the 1995Ugandan constitution provides for the Protection of personal liberty where it states; (1) No person shall be deprived of personal liberty except in any of the follow (a) in execution of the sentence or order of a court, whether established for Uganda or another country or of an international court or tribunal in respect of a criminal offence of which that person has been convicted among others.