Saying something has been done is not same as doing it - Editor's comment

This should be the week when Parliament prepares to debate a petition spearheaded by The Star calling for pharmacies to be allowed to help the country’s vaccines strategy after the number of signatories passed the threshold of 100,000 people.
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Yet, despite the clear public interest, there’s little likelihood, at present, of the ‘shot in the arm’ campaign being led by this paper and its JPI Media sister titles being considered by MPs as the number of supporters tops 120,000.

That is because it was ruled out of order when it was first posted on Parliament’s website. This is the reply: ‘We can't publish petitions when the request is something that's already happening. We think your petition is covered by government or Parliament action already.’

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So, alongside our sister newspapers across the country, we had to use the Change.org platform instead to demand action.

A health worker gets the first dose of Pfizer-Biontech's vaccine against the coronavirusA health worker gets the first dose of Pfizer-Biontech's vaccine against the coronavirus
A health worker gets the first dose of Pfizer-Biontech's vaccine against the coronavirus
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We have lost more than we  truly appreciated we had...- Editor's comment

It was a strangely similar scenario when The Star launched its Laptop for Kids campaign months ago. We were told that the government had already sorted the problem. While it was true that they had spent money on this issue, it hadn’t scratched the surface and as you read this there are still thousands of teenagers in our city who can’t join online lessons because they have no device. As you’ll know, with your help, we cracked on regardless because the truth was painfully clear. This is a recurring pattern and I am sure we can all think of examples of leadership that says it has done something when, at best, it didn’t understand the problem so was incapable and, at worst, lied or didn’t care enough to actually follow through.

However it is not too late to remedy this for our chemist campaign if sufficient MPs, preferably from all parties, are willing to use the means at their disposal to instigate a debate.

Focusing on GPs surgeries and pharmacists works better than huge vaccination centres because of factors like geography, fear and mistrust. It is never going to easy but simple steps like this one really can help. The logistics of a national vaccine programme are mind-boggling. It will work more smoothly when local voices are heard and our city experts are allowed to take the lead. After all, everybody wants the same outcome.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.

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