City taps Bakuna Champions to strengthen vaccination program

The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on third and final reading a proposed ordinance strengthening the city’s vaccination program by mobilizing community volunteers to be known as Bakuna champions, providing funds and for other purposes.

Under the proposed ordinance, it shall be the policy of the city government to ensure the general health and well being of all its constituents by protecting communities from vaccine-preventable diseases, especially those most vulnerable.

Further, the city shall adopt a participatory approach by mobilizing the communication action and engaging the vulnerable groups in the promotion, delivery, monitoring and follow-up activities related to immunization for the realization of the said endeavor.

Among the objectives of the proposed measure include to strengthen the community’s immunization program as an effective holistic strategy to regain and build the public’s trust and confidence on vaccines and immunization; recruit and develop Bakuna champions to support local health workers and other volunteer community health workers amplify health messages to shape positive behaviors on immunization and health; create the foundation for sustainable social mobilization through the empowerment of Bakuna champions; decrease the burden of vaccine preventable diseases by employing the social mobilization process to develop local strategies and activities to address vaccine hesitancy among vulnerable groups in the community and engage and empower local mobilizers to address low immunization uptake.

The ordinance stipulated that community volunteers to be known as Bakuna champions shall be recruited from the various barangays to advocate and serve as influencers to spread pro-vaccine messages to alter the attitudes and perceptions towards vaccines and vaccination.

Bakuna champions must be at least 18 years of age as of the date of the filing of the application for registration, must be a resident of the city, able to read and write, able to communicate effectively, physically and mentally fit, must be willing to voluntarily perform and be trained on the roles and responsibilities of a Bakuna champion and other related functions as may be mandated by higher authorities, must not have been convicted with any case involving moral turpitude and must have no conflict of interest in the delivery of primary care services.

The barangays shall recommend to the City Health Services Office (CHSO) qualified community volunteers to be trained as Bakuna champions among their constituents. The CHSO shall screen the applicants and the Bakuna oversight committee shall evaluate and endorse the volunteers to the local health board to be registered as Bakuna champions.

All Bakuna champions who are actively and regularly performing their duties shall be entitled to a monthly stipend, training, education and career enrichment, free legal services, medical examination and eligibility as barangay health workers.

The amount of PhP2.4 million shall be appropriated by the city government annually to defray the expenses necessary or incident to the implementation of the Bakuna champions.

Earlier, the city government entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Health–Cordillera Administrative Region for the 2023 Health Settings Program Implementation and a supplementary agreement that mandates the implementation of the activities under the Bakuna champions. – Dexter A. See