Govt, LGUS, private sector to play key roles in Covid-19 vaccine rollout

The national government has already approved the Philippine National Deployment and Vaccination Plan for Covid-19 vaccines as part of the national immunization campaign to combat the Covid-19 virus.

The People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP) recently conducted a webinar about the subject, where Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles presented the country’s vaccine deployment plan.

The presentation centered on one of the most critical stages in the country’s Covid-19 fight such as the procurement and deployment of the vaccines to help people make informed decisions about vaccination options, and the roles that the government, the private sector and other vital stakeholders will play in the rollout.

The country, he said, remains steadfast in its battle against the disease and will leave no stone unturned to make the people safe and to bring back a sense of normalcy to the nation. The fight, he explained, involves a “whole-of-nation” approach, where efforts are synchronized and integrated in all sectors. It involves committed leadership and good governance, cascaded from the President, the Executive, to the Legislative, the private sector and the local government units (LGUS).

Lowering of our mortality rates, Nograles pointed out, has been the government’s main priority, which is why the government is trying to secure at least 148 million doses of vaccines for 2021 from at least seven vaccine manufacturers—pfizer Biontech, Astrazeneca, Moderna, Novavax, Gamaleya, Sinovac and Janssen—for vaccine supply enough to cover 50 to 70 million Filipinos. He reminded that only Food and Drug Administration (Fda)approved vaccines and those that passed its stringent evaluations and tests, and eventually issued with Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) will be procured. “We urge everyone to look beyond brands and get immunized once these approved vaccines arrive. We want to protect ourselves against the virus so getting the vaccines is one way of achieving this.”

Is the philippines on the right track?

THE World Health Organization (WHO) believes that the country is on the right track with regard to the vaccine rollout based on the criteria it set, from regulatory readiness, presence of a national vaccine deployment plan, availability of storage facilities, and safety monitoring plans on possible adverse effects.

There is also already in place an Allocation and Prioritization plan to determine who gets vaccinated first, according to Nograles, again based on the WHO’S Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) Values Framework and its six core principles based on public good, human well-being, reciprocity, equal respect, national equity, and legitimacy.

Nograles said this framework helped the NITAG or the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group to identify eligible groups for vaccination to directly reduce morbidity and mortality, and maintain the most critical and essential services needed, which is the primary goal. “The secondary goal is to control transmission and to minimize the disruption of social, economic and security functions, while the third is to resume the country’s essential activities to ‘near normal’ status.”

These goals, he noted, helped guide in the selection of eligible and priority groups, such as Group A (frontline health workers, indigent senior citizens, remaining senior citizens and remaining indigent population and uniformed personnel); Group B, (teachers and school workers, national or local government workers, essential workers, socio-demographic groups at significant higher risk than senior citizens, and indigent populations, including Persons With Disability (PWD), Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLS), Indigenous People, Filipinos living in high-density areas, eligible students, OFWS, and other remaining workforce), and finally Group C, or those Filipinos not mentioned in Groups A and B.

The deployment of the vaccine, he said, will be on a “Phased” approach that depends on timing, availability of doses, logistical requirements, and on a sectoral basis. The number of vaccinations will also be dependent on the number of vaccines delivered, he added.

Lgus’ role

THE local government units (LGUS), based on the Local Government Code, are mandated to take the lead in the implementation of the vaccination program, in accordance with the guidelines of the Covid-19 vaccine cluster and the Department of Health (DOH). “They are responsible in making sure that the ‘bottom-up’ planning process will be observed to ensure a smooth and satisfactory vaccine implementation. They should also determine the number of eligible population for vaccination in their area, implementing units and number of vaccination sites, including the development of a waste management plan. LGUS should also help identify fixed vaccination sites, such as in medical centers, hospitals, rural health units, health facilities of other government agencies, and private clinics.”

National government, private sector’s role

NOGRALES cited that it is the national government and their regional counterparts’ role to provide strategic direction, technical and logistical assistance, cascade policies and guidelines, and capacitate implementers. “The Department of Health (DOH), meanwhile, will issue memoranda on specific operational guidelines applicable for each deployment of a specific type and quantity of Covid-19 vaccine.”

For the private sector, their much-needed support will center on administration, distribution and communication, equipment for logistical needs, resource mobilization and augmentation, supply chain for efficient vaccine storage, logistical management information systems. “The ultimate goal is to ensure the uninterrupted availability of quality vaccines, considering that there will be a multiple number and brands of vaccines to be used, from the manufacturer to delivery so that vaccination opportunities will not be missed.”

“With the availability of the vaccines and strict observance of minimum health protocols, we will be able to help curb the spread of the virus and eventually put an end to this pandemic.”

In the end, ensuring the success of the vaccination plan, as Nograles pointed out, is a shared responsibility and not just of the government. “We all need to participate in the necessary processes to ensure that our deployment and vaccination plan will be effective and efficient. We should all be involved in this, as a country, and as one nation.”