On September 23, the media was running a breaking news regarding a “fake vaccination entry” regarding former prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. Sharif had left the country for the United Kingdom in Nov 2019, months before the first case infection was documented in Pakistan.

The news that Nawaz Sharif had been “administered the first dose of Sinovac vaccine” in Pakistan became the talk of the town. The fake entry in the National Immunisation Management System was made from Government Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital in Lahore. Maryam Nawaz, the PML-N vice president, showed her concern over the fake vaccination entry of her father saying that “this could draw international reaction over the kind of system Pakistan has for vaccine administration and registration”. This incident, she said, had “exposed the system”.

“An inquiry was initiated and the responsible persons were made accountable”, says Dr Yadullah Ali, a spokesperson for the Primary and Secondary Health Department. A first investigation report (FIR) had also been lodged against the persons involved in the incident.

The medical superintendent and a senior doctor of Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital were suspended for negligence and the “fake entry.” It was learnt that Abul Hassan (a watchman) and Adil (a ward boy) had used the ID of Naveed, a hospital worker, to type the former prime minister’s vaccination entry. This case has highlighted some loopholes in our inoculation system.

According to Zameer (name changed upon request), an individual deployed at the centre, “Many people who come here, don’t want to get vaccinated but they want to get a ‘fake entry’ in the system. They give money to watch boys or ward boys deployed at the centres who approach data entry operators. The data entry operators then enter the CNIC details of the concerned people so that they became eligible to get Covid vaccination certificates”.

Muhammad Ali (name changed) claims that it is not difficult to get a fake entry in the system. He says he has strong connections due to which his name was entered by the data entry operator in the NADRA system. The system now says that he has been administered the first dose of Sinovac.

Pakistan has administered more than 78 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Nearly 27 million people have been fully vaccinated. However, these reports put things into question. There are several lacunae that need to be addressed. At least 41 FIRs have been registered against those who have allegedly made fake entries. According to a spokesperson, 10 FIRs have been lodged and 20 persons have been arrested over fake entries and fake certificates.

In an attempt to counter malpractice, the government has launched the Pak Covid-19 Vaccination Pass App to help identify fake vaccination certificates. The app was developed following complaints about people using fake vaccination certificates to avail facilities of indoor dining, travel, hiring rooms in hotels and withdrawing salaries.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been tasked with tracking individuals who have acquired fake certificates. The FIA is working in collaboration with the NADRA to monitor the registration process.

Dr Faisal Sultan, the health minister, claims that while there are flaws in the system, “a fake entry is very rare”.

It is pertinent to mention here that Kamran Ali Afzal, the Punjab chief secretary, was told in a briefing last month that the Punjab government had arrested 16 officials and registered 12 cases in eight cities on charges of fake entries of coronavirus vaccine administration. The entries were found in Sialkot, Vehari, Rahim Yar Khan, Lodhran, Lahore, Faisalabad, Chiniot and Multan – signalling that the problem may be widespread.

Dr Yadullah Ali, a deputy secretary, claims, however, that a foolproof system has been developed by the government and now it is not possible to get a fake vaccination entry.

According to him, CCTVs cameras have been installed at vaccination centres for this purpose. He adds that although the government provides vaccines to the people, it cannot check their anti-bodies in case of doubt.

The author works for The News. He can be contacted at   

sherali9984@gmail.com