Vusumuzi Dube
Bruce Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter
PEOPLE without identity documents should not be turned away from vaccination centres, as the absence of such documents does not take away their right to inoculation, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Speaking during a Question and Answer session at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development said that government policy was clear in stating that those that do not possess the requisite identity documents should not be alienated from the vaccination drive.
Prof Murwira was responding to Harare North MP Mr Norman Markham (MDC) who asked for policy clarification regarding the issue of Zimbabweans who had no identity documents and were turned away from vaccination centres.
“Hon. Speaker, coronavirus affects all people, those with documents and those without; no one is safe until all of us are safe. Those ones with identity documents and those ones without, so Government policy as His Excellency the President Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa said, we want to project this policy. Vaccination will be done on people with or without identity documents. There are always ways to identify people which are different from the identity document.
“When it comes to COVID-19, we want people to be vaccinated. It should be very clear to the worker on the floor, front line worker, everyone in Government, Parliament and Judiciary that people shall be vaccinated and the identity document is not a requirement for that. If there are specific incidents where people are not clear, let it be very clear that vaccination will not be conditional in terms of identity documents,” he said.
Online Reporter