PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the P7.9 billion allocation for the nationwide vaccination program of the Department of Health (DoH) as part of catch-up efforts to improve the immunization rate among schoolchildren, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said Tuesday.
Herbosa said the President ordered the DoH to increase the immunization coverage.
He said the agency received an increase of P2.3 billion “to fund the vaccine acquisition and administration nationwide.”
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa
“So we have a big catch-up [to do], and we will restore our past immunization rate and strengthen our National Immunization Program. We will do this starting October,” Herbosa said in a press briefing.
The DoH chief said that Marcos approved the “full budget” he requested for the nationwide vaccination program.
“The President granted my request for a full budget. This is a first because usually, only 60 to 70 percent of our requests are granted. But this is the first time our President really allocated P7.9 billion just for the acquisition of vaccines,” he said.
The DoH and the Department of Education (DepEd) will launch on October 7 the “Bakuna Eskwela” program at Dr. Alejandro Albert Elementary School.
“It’s nationwide. We will do the launch on October 7, but every Friday for the month of October, children who want to be vaccinated can get vaccinated at all DepEd schools,” Herbosa said.
The DoH chief said the Balik Eskwela Program covers Grades 1, 4 and 7 students in all public schools nationwide.
He said students from private schools may also avail of the vaccination drive, saying he would make sure that “the program will not refuse any child.”
Herbosa, however, clarified that the vaccination is not mandatory and still needs parents’ consent.
To date, the DoH chief said that only 71 percent of children nationwide are fully immunized.
Under the school-based immunization program, vaccines for human papillomaviruses, measles, rubella, tetanus and diphtheria will be administered, Malacañang press briefer Daphne Paez said during the same press briefing.
“President Marcos called for a strong media and publicity campaign in order to reach families, mothers, children and the youth about the benefits and necessity of required vaccines,” Paez said.
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