In the words of the official, the health strategy, the cost of which he himself estimated at 5 million dollars, exceeds the construction of the modules.
The vaccination plan against COVID-19 that the Government is preparing to implement and the million-dollar spending on the construction of modules in which the dose will be applied were again justified by the Minister of Health, Francisco Alabí, on Monday, in a television interview .
In the words of the official, the health strategy, the cost of which was set by himself at $ 5 million and for which he received criticism from the same body of doctors and nurses, “does not only involve placing a cube,” he claimed.
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“We are talking about the fact that there are more than 156 seats and the furniture, refrigeration, cold chain, logistics process and remodeling of the sanitary units were not included,” he added.
Alabí argues that “vaccines cannot be placed in non-existent or damaged areas where the requirements are not met and where the strategy cannot be applied in a short time”.
Regarding the construction of vaccination modules, Alabí already explained, during his appearance in the Legislative Assembly, before the special commission investigating the use of funds to combat the pandemic, that the cost of each is estimated at $ 32,000, for a total investment of 5 million USD.
However, President Nayib Bukele, during a press conference last Saturday, contradicted Alabí in terms of the cost per module, as he assured that the meeting is “about $ 6,000 and something”.
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“The price is false, it’s not so close, if we do not take into account computers, equipment, refrigeration devices, etc., worth about 6,000 and a few dollars each module, 6000 and something, of course if you put computers, refrigeration, of course, the price increases” , said Bukele.
Questioning doctors
In the medical and nursing sector, the cost of the modules has generated rejection and outrage, as they describe the action as a waste, as the country’s public health system has 700 health units with adequate infrastructure, with a cold chain keep the AstraZeneca vaccine in the refrigerator at the required temperature.
“The medical units are equipped with the necessary infrastructure to maintain the cold chain, which is to keep the vaccine in the refrigerator until the exact moment when it is applied. In addition, people who go to communities or who travel on itinerant routes and who cannot go to units wear thermoses that are regulated and standardized with the requirements of the World Health Organization. And that in this case they can work. They do not need additional infrastructure, it is not necessary, it is a waste of resources “, said the former Deputy Minister of Health, Eduardo Espinoza.
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According to Espinoza, health had to be strengthened and spent on health facilities, where vaccination sites already exist.
“In my opinion, that (construction) is a matter of propaganda for electoral purposes, but it does not meet the need, the pandemic vaccine simply (construction) should have been added to the effort that already exists in vaccination programs, in which the country he already has a lot of experience “, he argued.
Eduardo Espinoza added that there are 570 community family health teams, which are located nationwide and that their work is itinerant, which are trained for home vaccination. The former official stressed that these health teams have in the past allowed the El Salvador administration to position itself with high vaccination rates, surpassing Costa Rica in immunization rates.