MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur (PIA)--To uphold the mandate of pursuing the national government’s vaccination program in every locality in the country, the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) here launched the "Resbakuna on Wheels" to fast-track the vaccination and attain herd immunity in the province.
IPHO chief Dr. Alinader Minalang said the IPHO’s mobile vaccination was established to improve the common vaccination rollout as the local government reaches out to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) in the province and administer the vaccination within their community.
“Resbakuna on Wheels is an initiative of the IPHO which modifies the usual rollout of Resbakuna in different municipalities in Lanao del Sur, which is fixed on one area, usually the municipal hall. This time, we will go farther and deeper to the GIDA barangays to serve senior citizens and persons with disabilities who do not have access to the different bakuna [vaccination] centers,” he said.
Minalang added that this is an innovative strategy to deliver the vaccination program to anyone who wants to be inoculated and giving easy access to vaccines to immunize more eligible populations rapidly as they noted a low turnout rate, especially in remote areas.
While the designed strategy is to vaccinate hard-to-reach and high-risk populations, such a program also targets to conduct health education as part of reinforcing the public with information and debunking false information about vaccines.
The IPHO chief detailed that on the onset of the implementation of the program, one mobile vaccination team was deployed to a municipality in a day and shall be moving to another municipality the next day. Such an initiative has already served clustered barangays in some municipalities including Balindong, Marantao, and Malabang, and recorded a positive response from the citizenry.
Now, the province sees an increase in the number of vaccinated individuals in the province as the coverage goes farther to other municipalities and barangays.
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| The Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) of the province of Lanao del Sur launches the Resbakuna on Wheels to fast-track the vaccination program of the national government. Through this program, the vaccination program will be brought to communities instead of the people going to vaccination sites. (IPHO-Lanao del Sur) |
Minalang stressed that despite the challenges they encounter such as the lack of vehicles for their transportation and considering the distance of each municipality, the IPHO alongside the Provincial Interagency Task Force (PIATF) assures that it continues to strive to address all COVID-19 related concerns.
He likewise called on the public to not believe in fake news and give their full participation in the vaccination program to curb the surge of the virus.
“Ang bakuna ay ligtas at epektibo kaya walang dapat ipangamba. Magpabakuna para sa iyong kabutihan at sa pamilya niyo,” said Minalang.
[The vaccine is safe and effective so there is no reason to worry. Get vaccinated for your own safety and for your family.]
As of Sunday, September 26, the IPHO reported 53,188 individuals in the province who are already fully vaccinated. (CRG/PIA-Lanao del Sur)
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