THE PROPOSAL to exclude certain firms from the government’s vaccine procurement program is idiotic. Such a move, if implemented, would hamper the efforts on speeding up the rollout of vaccines across the broader population.
Section 5 of a draft administrative order by the Department of Health circulating in the public stated that the DOH and the National Task Force would “ensure that private entities who will be part of the agreement are not in any way related to the tobacco industry, products covered under Executive Order 51 series of 1986 or the National Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, Breastmilk Supplement and Other Related Products or other industries in conflict with public health.
The supposed provision is inconsistent with our common goal of vaccinating our people so every worker can go back to work without fear of getting sick. How could we increase our vaccine stockpile if deal with only a few? Vaccines should be made available for all.
As of March 15 data, 215,997 people (healthcare workers) have so far been given their first doses from 1,125,600 vaccine stockpile. We need to speed up the rollout of the vaccine, and we can do it with the help of the private sector.
Why is DOH discriminating against those mentioned industries? They are not asking for vaccine subsidies. They are legitimate businesses with a number of employees. If they are willing to vaccinate their employees for free, why stop them?
We should encourage the private sector to vaccinate their employees so that the government can just focus on vaccinating the frontliners, including minimum wage earners and contractual workers, government workers and our teachers.
But a private sector-led vaccine procurement must adhere to conditions set by the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act or Republic Act No. 11525, as well as other local and international protocols, especially in administering the vaccine among its respective organizations. The private sector should not resell the vaccine, and only procure and give it to their employees for free, while some may distribute it at cost.
Our government should allow the partnership with the private sector without any discrimination. The DOH should be prevailed to scrutinize its administrative order closely and rescind any provision that runs contrary to the efficient and massive rollout of vaccines.
