Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella had stated in Kandy recently that steps would be taken to provide covid vaccination to all journalists in the country. Accordingly, the names and identity cards of local journalists in the country had been made available to Colombo by the District Media Offices.
All of them were to be vaccinated in Colombo. But journalists from many districts did not want to come to Colombo at this time. They pointed out that the vaccine should be given somewhere in the district. But there was no response to that request.
Meanwhile, the covid vaccination was given to journalists at the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital on the 14th. Employees of media institutions in Colombo had arrived today.
The Api Journalists Association in Anuradhapura had called a press conference in this regard yesterday (17). The General Secretary of the association Buddhika Mahesh Wijesuriya stated that despite the three covid rallies in Sri Lanka, the government has failed to vaccinate the journalists who are the fourth government in Sri Lanka.
He says that even though the government has started administering the covid vaccine, one has to go to the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital to get it.
He points out that if a local journalist who plays a significant role in this case gets infected with Kovid, the media will lose local news. He says why should a journalist go to Colombo if other government officials are being brought to the district.
He says that there is a state minister for health in Anuradhapura and he has the ability to distribute this to all journalists in the districts but everyone remembers the journalist only when the election begins.
He said that he was talking about journalists from all over the country and if possible, he requested the government and the health sector to send the vaccine to the journalist in each province and to his family at the same time.