STRESSING that security of vaccine delivery and proper allocation to the targeted vaccine recipients in the local level will be “compromised”, Marikina City mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro on Sunday said that vaccine purchase should still be done through the tripartite agreement of the local government units (LGUs) , national government and pharmaceutical companies.
“This arrangement is still the most practical and safest way to purchase vaccines because it provides price protection due to the scale of volume, if done through the national government. If the LGU will purchase on their own, the cost will go up, given the limited budget that we have and the limited number of vaccines we are to purchase,” Teodoro told the BusinessMirror when sought for a reaction on the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 2042 which will expedite the purchase of Covid vaccines by exempting LGUs from procurement laws for a limited period.
Security of vaccine delivery and proper allocation to the targeted vaccine recipients in the cities, Teodoro said, will be “compromised” since LGUs will be in charge of what vaccine to purchase without the recommendation of leading health experts and may be a cause of unfair distribution of the vaccine.
“It is imperative that the local government protect its constituency against the virus without sacrificing the economical aspect of buying the vaccines. We must also acknowledge that not all cities have enough budgets to purchase the vaccines. With the aid of the national government, they can augment the supply of the vaccine through the tripartite agreement,” he stressed.
Teodoro also emphasized that it is the public’s best interest that must be considered at this stage of procuring the vaccines, to ensure equity in the distribution of vaccines. “Overpriced vaccine costs are unacceptable at this point in our fight against the Covid-19 virus,” he said.
He lamented that not all cities have enough funds to purchase the vaccines, but “with the aid of the national government, they can augment the supply of the vaccine through the tripartite agreement.”
In a radio interview, Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said the mayors of Metro Manila will submit a position paper to the Congress soon.
Olivarez, who chairs the Metro Manila Council, has expressed fear that SB 2042 will leave those LGUs in rural areas at a disadvantage.
“Dapat makarating [The vaccines should reach] all over the country,” Olivarez stressed.
Earlier, the Healthcare Professionals’ Alliance Against Covid-19 (HPAAC) had strongly opposed the passage of SB 2042 as they expressed fear that it will make not make the twin goals of reduction in mortality and maintenance of healthcare capacity achievable.
“We oppose this bill because allowing local government units (LGUs) or even private corporations to purchase directly from manufacturers will cause three big problems – 1) it will bypass the required recommendation of leading experts in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) , 2) it will lead to maldistribution of vaccines based on capacity to pay rather than need, and 3) it could drive increases in the cost of vaccines,” the HPAAC said in a statement.
The HPACC added that SB 2042 will bypass the required recommendation of the leading experts in Health Technology Assessment (HTA).
“While Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) is given to Covid-19 vaccines that show favorable preliminary results, scientists constantly monitor rapidly changing evidence.”
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