Gov Asks Constituents To Avail of Free Vaccines

Governor Hilario P. Davide III is planning to strengthen the information dissemination over the free vaccines in all health centers in the province as part of his healthcare and social services agenda.

Provincial Information Officer Jason Monteclar said on Monday that the governor wants all infants, children and mothers to have access to recommended vaccines against diphtheria, measles, poliomyelitis, hepatitis and tuberculosis, which are routinely administered to children.

“Apart from offering X-ray, dialysis, medical missions, and surgical operations in our hospitals, the governor also wants Sugboanons to avail of the free vaccines that are available in barangay health centers,” said Monteclar.

Monteclar said their office is now targeting mothers with newborn infants and children up to one-year old to get all available information about the vaccines and how to avail them.

“Naa man gud kitay mga kaigsounan nga nagtuo gihapon nga adunay bayad ang bakuna, uban gani adto sa mga private hospital hain dako ang bayad sa matag vaccine,” he said.

The vaccines, Monteclar said, were already available there (health centers) since Davide took office yet most of the residents were not fully aware of it.

“Aduna na kitay mga libreng bakuna nga dugay rang anaa dinha apan wala pa lang gayud hingpit mahibaw-i sa atong mga kaigsuonan,” he shared.

Monteclar added that Capitol has been consistent in its inventory on childhood vaccines making sure that supply is adequate every month.

Maria Loraine Gimperoso, Provincial Health Office coordinator for the National Immunization Program, encouraged mothers to avail of free vaccines to protect their children from diseases.

“All they (mothers) have to do is just visit their Rural Health Office which will contact the PHO for the free vaccines needed for their children,” she said.

She also advised the mothers to have their infants get vaccinated within the first two months from delivery, a very crucial period to the well-being of the child.

Gimperoso stressed that PHO has enough supply of vaccines which they replenish every month.

For February, PHO has 17,061 vials of Penta Valent for tetanus, 16,855 of PCV13 for pneumonia, 1,130 of BOPV and IPV for polio, 3,605 of MMR and MR for measles and mumps to name a few.

Penta Valent is for anti-tetanus. Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) for Polio, while Baccille Calmette Guerin (BCG) is used against Tuberculosis during birth. Packed Cell Volume (PCV) is for anti-pneumonia while Match Making Rating (MMR) is used against measles, mumps and german measles. (Jethro Malvin Bacolod)

SOURCE: www.cebu.gov.ph