Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
The Parliament of Honduras passed a law on Saturday to accelerate direct purchase of coronavirus vaccines SARS-CoV-2 through the Health Secretary and the Honduran Social Security Institute (IHSS).
The adoption of it Free vaccination right It happened with dispensation from two debates in a virtual session of the National Congress and in the middle of the rising curve of infections, which amount to more than 164,000, while there are nearly 4,000 deaths according to the latest state report. National risk management system (Sinager).
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The law passed by the delegates authorizes the Department of Health to acquire vaccines against Covid-19 through the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) revolving vaccine fund, from pre-existing mechanisms and ‘directly, without intermediaries and without being subject to are the provisions established in the Contracting State, “indicated the legislature.
The health entity is also authorized to directly purchase “the entire logistics, pharmacy and supply chain necessary for the application of the vaccine,” he added.
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“In these processes, priority should be given to the immediate availability of the vaccine in the shortest possible time and its availability in sufficient quantity for the whole population and to be included in the national vaccination schedule through the Expanded Immunization Program (PAI),” he explained.
The law also authorizes the IHSS to manage the procurement of coronavirus vaccines to ensure vaccination for all of its affiliates
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All public institutions procuring covid vaccines must ensure that “the first doses are intended for the care of health professionals, both private and public, in accordance with the provisions of the Ministry of Health’s vaccination guidelines,” Parliament stressed. The Department of Health and the IHSS were also authorized to sign a partnership agreement that allows for “expansion and rapid coverage” of vaccinations for family members of the insured and other vulnerable groups.
The acquisition of the vaccines will be done in a “transparent manner”, and the process will be monitored and supervised by the Superior Court of Accounts (TSC).
All pharmaceutical companies or legal entities that supply vaccines to the IHSS and the Department of Health must have an emergency use permit, issued by the Sanitary Regulation Agency (ARSA), to ensure sanitary regulation based on scientific evidence.
Several industries are demanding that the arrival of the first vaccines in the country be accelerated, where the National Autonomous University of Honduras (Unah) has recommended the purchase of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine.
The Russian vaccine, which has been approved for emergency situations by 25 countries in the world, requires a cold chain between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius in addition to minimal side effects, which is in line with the cold chain administered by the Central American nation’s health system.