Vaccines: Cope wants minister to step in

Cope said the Eastern Cape's decision had been short-sighted.

 

Cope said that the department just had to ensure that people understood that the vaccine itself was free, but that they would be charged a service fee.

 

"If people didn't want to pay the service fee they could go to a government clinic and wait in queues."

 

"People who have time constraints and would rather pay a service fee than waste a whole day at a government medical centre should have this choice," Cope said in a statement.

 

They said that to deny a child of vaccines is a denial of a fundamental right, "very foolish and irresponsible".

 

Cope argued that vaccines are cost effective and that there is a much higher cost to the government when they have to deal with the outbreak of diseases that could have been prevented by vaccination.