Bill expediting LGU purchase of COVID-19 vaccines to cause ‘maldistribution’ —healthcare group

The measure seeking to allow local government units (LGU) to speed up procurement of COVID-19 vaccines will only cause a "maldistribution" of vaccines based on capacity to pay, the spokesperson for an alliance of healthcare professionals said Thursday.

During a Senate hearing, Dr. Antonio Dans of the Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19 expressed his opposition to Senate Bill 2042.

The measure will serve as a "legal cover" allowing LGUs to expedite their procurement of COVID-19 vaccines by exempting them from provisions under the Government Procurement Reform Act.

"If local government units and private entities have the funds to procure vaccines for their constituents and employees, and the manufacturers are willing to deal with them, then let us give them the authority to do so," said Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, who sponsors the measure.

But Dans said COVID-19 vaccines are not a local resource and thus, its prioritization and distribution need to be centralized, especially when the supply is not enough.

"When LGUs and corporations are allowed to procure on their own, then priorities will be defined by capacity to pay rather than need for the vaccine," he said.

"If this were to happen, we would not be able to achieve the twin goals of reduction in mortality and maintenance of healthcare capacity," he added.

At the same time, Dans said the approval of the measure would bypass the recommendations of leading experts in the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC).

"To evaluate benefits against risks, complex skills are required in assessing not just vaccine efficacy and price, but also cost effectiveness, budget impact, feasibility, applicability and acceptability. The Universal Health Care Law puts the mandate to review this science on the shoulders of skilled scientists of the independent HTAC," he said.

"Bypassing recommendations of this council will expose the people to the dangers of inappropriate technology, and may make local policy makers liable for wrong decisions," he added.

Moreover, Dans believes that allowing LGUs to procure vaccines directly from sellers will only jack up their prices.

"The national government has offered to pay for most of the country’s vaccine needs. We need to rationalize not duplicate the use of these funds," he said.

"LGUs have a huge and ever important role in implementing the vaccination program. Procuring vaccines is not one of them," he added.

Currently, LGUs are allowed to purchase COVID-19 vaccines through tripartite agreements with the national government and the vaccine manufacturers.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr., however, said that even if the measure is passed into law, the tripartite agreements would still stand considering that manufacturers only have an emergency use authorization (EUA) for their COVID-19 vaccines in the country.

"Considering that this is an EUA, the private sector and the LGU cannot directly communicate with the vaccine producer. Even the vaccine manufacturers do not go directly to the LGU considering that it is still an EUA," he said.

"The provisions of the tripartite agreement will be followed. It also provides safety to the LGU that it is the government that will indemnify for any adverse effect," he added.

Zubiri also agreed to retain the tripartite agreement, saying this will allow the national government to negotiate the prices of the vaccines.

"Kapag national government ang magne-negotiate ng price, pwede nilang babaan nang babaan," he said.

The Philippines targets to inoculate 50 to 70 million individuals within the year, and an estimated 50,000 is expected to be vaccinated in February.

According to the government's vaccination roadmap, health workers and frontliners from select government offices will be the first to receive the vaccine, followed by indigent senior citizens, other senior citizens, and other indigents.—LDF, GMA News