DOH eyes more Covid vaccination in BARMM

COTABATO CITY – Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire vowed to speed up Covid-19 vaccination in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao following a recent meeting with international and local health partners.

Vergeire emphasized that the short-term priority is to increase vaccination coverage in BARMM, saying it has the lowest coverage (55.24%) for primary series among all regions.

Considering this challenge, she appealed for partners to provide funding assistance for operational gaps and human resource deployment, as well to support monitoring and implementation, especially in the provinces of Basilan and Sulu.

“We do not just want to focus on delivering the national targets of PinasLakas. Universal Health Care is anchored on equity – where quality care is provided to the most vulnerable. We cannot progress as a country, until every Juan everywhere is uplifted.”

“To do so, we recognize the critical role of our key partners in supporting our initiatives. We need to maximize our partners’ strengths and support to develop innovative and culturally-appropriate strategies that encourage people in BARMM and in other priority areas to get vaccinated,” Vergeire said.

Vergeire said she has identified key initiatives under the new health sector strategy that the Department of Health shall initiate in the first year of its implementation. Among these are the international and local health regulations, capacitance of regional offices, improving human resources for health strategies, and streamlining health financing mechanisms as priority areas where health partners may provide financial and technical support.

“If we are able to jointly deliver on our PinasLakas targets for BARMM and priority areas, as well as collaborate to successfully implement these identified initiatives in the first year, this will serve as our proof of concept that Universal Health Care is within reach, and that we will move mountains to make it happen for every Filipino,” she said.

The meeting included leaders from foreign government support agencies such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Korea International Cooperation Agency, Manila Economic and Cultural Office, United States Agency for International Development, US Centers for Disease Control, and Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics.

Also in attendance were top executives from international development organizations such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, World Health Organization, United Nations Population Fund, and United Nations Children's Fund among many others. Local health partners who were also present in the meeting include Oxfam Pilipinas, Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc., WomanHealth Philippines, and Zuellig Family Foundation among others.

But it was unclear why the DOH failed in its vaccination campaign in BARMM. It was also unknown whether Vergeire told local and international partners about the wastage of over 20 million Covid-19 vaccines.

This wastage of vaccines came to light during the House Committee on Appropriations budget briefing where Vergeire admitted that the vaccines had already expired and that some 12 million doses are in the national warehouse and the rest are in various regional warehouses. The government began its rollout of the life-saving vaccines in March 2021 and a significant portion of the vaccines came as donations from other countries. (Mindanao Examiner)