Two Ministers Signed A Press Release To Establish That.
All civil servants on the state’s payroll including those on retirement are expected to take the COVID 19 vaccine, from the 5th to the 15th November 2021 when the immunization campaign commence following a joint press release signed by the Minister of public Health Manaouda Malachie and Joseph LE the Minister of Public Service and Administrative reforms on the 14th October 2021.
According to the release, a vaccination team from the Health Ministry will go to public structures and vaccinate the civil servants. The civil servants are urged to take the vaccine in their numbers so as to make the country gets to the immunization drive. The state decision to launch a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign for all civil servants stems from its ability to the immunization drive.
The campaign jointly launched by the Public Health Minister Manaouda Malachie and the Minister of Public Service and Administrative Reforms Joseph Le forcing the civil servants to be vaccinated is highly condemned by the Cameroon Human Rights and Freedom Commission of Cameroon office which considers the decision taken as complete violation of human rights.
It is amazing that the Minister of Public Health Manaouda Malachi and that of the Public Service and Administrative Reforms Joseph Le who took part during the June parliamentary session to answer questions from the law makers could not retain the decisions of the parliamentarians of vaccination not been compulsory but a free will of individuals.
From their decision to forcefully vaccinate the civil servants on the government payroll and also those on retirement, no one can gainsay the fact that the state is in an anomic situation. If the state of Cameroon respects international declarations, the authorities will consider article 25 of the Helsinki declaration which states “ The participation of a person capable of medical research must be a voluntary act.”
The non respect of human rights in the country is very alarming. What is the government benefitting imposing the COVID 19 vaccine on its citizens taking into account that, the vaccine does not protect even those vaccinated from the pandemic.
By Takang Bisong