Posted on: Mon 29-11-2021

Barely 72 hours to the implementation of the Federal Government’s vaccine mandate for workers in its employ, President of the Guild of Medical Directors (GMD), Prof. Olufemi Dokun-Babalola, has urged Nigerians to purge themselves of fears and get vaccinated for the good of all.

In an interview with The Guardian, Dokun-Babalola, who said vaccine mandates were not new, pointed out that the government was doing this to “ramp up the very low vaccination figures,” noting that the vaccine hesitancy in the country “is very unfortunate.”

From December 1, federal workers are expected to show evidence of being vaccinated or a negative PCR test result done within 72 hours before accessing their offices.

But Dokun-Babalola added: “The right to choose is what is called ‘Autonomy’ in medical ethics.”

A Professor of Otorhinolaryngology and public health professional, Titus Ibekwe, urged the government to go beyond the civil servants, who form just a marginal percentage of the workforce and the entire population, to target every citizen in the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination.

He argued that the government’s action through the proposed implementation of vaccine mandate for its workers could also appear justified by quoting some extant rules that empower the government to take some extreme measures in the advent of situations like pandemics, to protect its populace.

The don observed: “Looking into this policy from the surface, it appears implausible, since people will be made to get vaccinated to protect themselves, the environment and those around them, to break the chain of transmission.”

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