The government authorized the purchase of vaccines for 46.2 million euros

According to a decree published this Friday, the government has authorized expenditures of around 46.2 million euros for the purchase of vaccines and tuberculins under the National Vaccination Program during 2023.

In accordance with the resolution of the Council of Ministers published in Diário da República, the five Regional Health Directorates (Lisbon and Tagus Valley, North, Center, Algarve and Alentejo) and their respective organizations can now start purchasing vaccines and tuberculins under the National Vaccination Program until 2023 year for a total amount of EUR 46,245,572.23 plus value added tax at the current rate.

The order determines that “financial costs arising from this resolution shall be borne by each of the subjects”, provided by the amounts contributed to the respective budgets.

According to Expresso, the introduction of free vaccines to the population, especially newborns and children, is carried out by “droppers”, adding that vaccines have not yet been purchased this year and the doses left from the vaccine are used in medical centers. previous delivery, subsequent reports of immunization failures across the country.

“There are still many failures, for example, in tetanus vaccines, and in quadrivalent and pentavalent diphtheria, whooping cough, polio and hemophilus vaccines. The medical centers do not have the necessary doses,” Expresso guarantees the direction of the Order. nurses.

Public health doctors confirm the difficulties. “We are using the ‘stocks’ of the remaining vaccines. We have already started having disruptions in PNV, and the purchase of vaccines for this year, six months before the end, has not yet been authorized,” criticizes Gustavo Tato Borges. President of the National Association of Public Health Physicians.

On May 16, Health Minister Manuel Pizarro said a tender guaranteeing a “full supply” of vaccines would be finalized in the coming weeks, but assured there was no shortage of vaccines in the country.

“There is no shortage of vaccines in the National Health Service (NHS), there is a smarter management of “stocks”. It is true that purchases in recent months have been made for shorter periods than usual, and this makes one behave prudently.” stocks,” but there is no shortage of vaccines from the national vaccination plan,” he said when asked by reporters.

Last month, the National Medicines and Health Products Administration (Infarmed) announced a ban on the export of more than 150 drugs and several vaccines because they were out of stock.