Private sectors in Cebu to help local government in vaccination program

CEBU CITY –At least 20 private establishments in Cebu want to help the national government speed up and make the vaccination program comfortable.

The partnership scheme will pilot tests in Cebu but may expand to other regions, said Dr. Jaime Bernadas, director of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7).

“Vaccinating 70 percent or 100 percent of the total population is a difficult task. We (in government) can’t do it alone. We need the help of the private sector,” he said.

The private sector under the Project Balik Buhay (PBB) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with government officials on Monday, March 29.

Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino said the signing of the MOA will allow malls and hotels to provide venues for the public vaccination.

Private hospitals also promised to provide staff members who would be in charge of screening and inoculating the vaccinees.

PBB chairman Edmund Liu said the vaccination sites will be activated once the government starts inoculating those under Priority Code A3 or persons with comorbidities.

“We, in the private sector, have been tasked to support, whatever we can, the efforts of the national government. We are willing to donate the use of private properties at no cost to the government, at no cost to the Cebuanos—all shouldered by the private sector,” he said.

Liu said the vaccinees will be given a contact number which they can call in case they experience adverse effects of the vaccines.

As of March 28, Central Visayas has received 110,760 vaccines from the national government.

Of the number, 80,760 are from Chinese firm Sinovac and 30,000 came from British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca.

Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, DOH-7 spokesperson, said 56,726 of the 117,493 who registered for the vaccination have received the first dose of the vaccine.

All health workers, she said, should be inoculated within the Holy Week.

Next in line are the senior citizens.

Bernadas said people who do not want to be inoculated with either the Sinovac or the AstraZeneca vaccine will be the last to be inoculated if they change their minds.

“They will have to wait their turn after everybody else is vaccinated,” he said.

The vaccination partners of the PBB are Chong Hua Hospitals, Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital, Visayas Community Medical Center, Mendero Medical Center, University of Cebu Medical Center, ARC Hospitals, SM, Robinsons Land Corp., Toyota Team Cebu, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc., Visayan Electric, Archdiocese of Cebu, Sacred Heart School, and University of San Carlos.

Also included are Cebu Velez General Hospital, Perpetual Succour Hospital, St. Vincent General Hospital, University of the Philippines Medical Alumni Society, LH Foundation Inc. and Bayanihan Cebu.