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HIGHLIGHTING that funding will not be a problem, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said on Monday that the head of implementation of the National Working Group (NTF) against Covid-19 and secretary of the vaccine czar, Carlito Gálvez Jr., “will orchestrate every effort” to ensure vaccine delivery for all.
In an online media forum, Duque said that the budget for the Covid-19 vaccine is part of the planning that Gálvez is doing for the implementation of the three main components: development, procurement and deployment of the vaccine.
Responding to BusinessMirror’s question about the adequacy of resources for vaccine procurement, Duque said, “Congress is a partner in this effort.”
“The House of Representatives, in the General Appropriations Bill [GAB] transmitted to the Senate, has included there an increase in Covid-19 vaccines to P8 billion. [It ] is more than P2.5 billion that was prescribed by the DBM [Department of Budget and Management] Secretary [Wendel Avisado] DOF [Department of Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez]”Duque said.
Duque said the Senate is also “contemplating” setting aside a P10 billion reserve fund for Covid-19 vaccines.
Underfunded
Gálvez also assured that through the multilateral commitment with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank (WB), the budget for the purchase and distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine has been secured.
He said that Domínguez has already prepared the possible amount that will be delivered by ADB and WB.
“We have a high credit rating [We have a high credit rating]”Said Gálvez, referring to the multilateral agencies willing to lend a possible amount of 5 to 9 billion dollars.
Gálvez said that a P10 billion reserve fund was allocated for the acquisition of the Covid-19 vaccine under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2, as well as a P25 trillion reserve fund for the Covid-19 response.
He added that a logistics service support summit is also scheduled soon to discuss requirements and budget related to shipping and warehousing of vaccine production.
Proactive plan
The Undersecretary of Health, María Rosario Vergeire, said it is important for the public to be informed of the progress of the country’s proactive plan in the acquisition and deployment of vaccines as soon as a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine is available to the public.
“The information you have shared is a big step forward for us to update the public and our colleagues in other industries on what our plans are towards a [All the information that you shared to us is a big step to update the public and other sector when it comes to our plans to be able to achieve] safe in [and] efficient delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine, ”said Vergeire, referring to the information shared by Duque and Gálvez during the forum.
Meanwhile, Gálvez drew up the seven key stages of the Covid-19 vaccine roadmap for the Philippines and the corresponding departments that will lead each phase.
Additionally, Galvez said that the establishment of this roadmap is expected to accelerate the deployment of vaccines when they are finally available.
Gálvez admitted that the most critical stage is the initial phase of the roadmap, which involves scientific evaluation and selection of vaccines. DOH and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) lead this phase.
The next stage is equally important as it will increase the chances of acquiring the vaccines. The Department of Foreign Relations (DFA) and the Department of Finance (DOF) are in charge of this second stage, which is called the “Acquisition Access” or “Access Guarantee” stage.
The third stage, led by the Procurement Service of the Budget and Management Department (PS-DBM) and DOF, and supervised by the Resource Management and Logistics Working Group (TGRML), involves the procurement process that ensures that the acquisition and development of the vaccine is cost-effective and time-efficient. This stage focuses on the production, shipment and organized and safe storage of vaccines that will ensure the safe handling of vaccines.
Stage 5, which consists of the distribution and deployment of vaccines, will also be handled by PS-DBM and TGRML, while stage 6 focuses on the national implementation of the vaccination plan, which will be a collaboration between DOH, the national and local government. agencies and LGUs.
Finally, DOH, DOST, and the University of the Philippines National Institute of Health (UP-NIH) will manage and oversee the evaluation, evaluation, and follow-up of the vaccine’s release to the public.
While testing and trials of the vaccines are still ongoing to ensure their safe, effective and ethical administration, both DOH and NTF reminded the public to remain vigilant and proactive in mitigating the spread of the virus through prevention of science-backed infections. and control measures.
