DA calls on Health Department to fix dysfunctional vaccine registration system
21 May 2021
The DA calls on the Department of Health to clearly communicate on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) errors and implement mitigation strategies. The EVDS system that is responsible for registering individuals to get the vaccine is riddled with system errors. This is the main tool leading the vaccine rollout and with such failures, it will cause even more delays and confusion.
The DA has been inundated with queries and concerns regarding the system with community members stating that they either did not receive their SMS, got sent to an incorrect location or received someone else’s appointment SMS. Further issues included the EVDS system sending people to location that were far from their residence or being sent appointment notifications just hours before their appointments.
The Department had 6 months to prepare for these technical issues and yet they can still not deliver. As of the beginning of this week, 520 vaccination sites are still needing to be approved and registered on the EVDS portal. Phase 2 started on the 17th of May and government is still registering vaccination sites. The department must get its act together and properly communicate system errors and the potential need for re-registration as this will not merely lead to an ineffective rollout but essentially is a life-or-death situation.
This week the DA-run Western Cape government announced that it will be taking over the local SMS scheduling for Covid vaccines. It is currently offering a 3-day lead time with SMS's that will soon to be a 5-day lead time so that vaccine recipients can properly prepare.
The DA calls on government to clearly communicate EVDS system errors and implement mitigation strategies as soon as possible. The National Health Department should learn from the Western Cape Government and place a focus on proper implementation of the vaccine rollout plan
Issued by Haseena Ismail, DA Member on the Portfolio Committee of Health, 21 May 2021
