The Government bought 20 million vaccination cards, but the main district will not use them

Emilia vexler

02/27/2021 16:05

• Clarín.com

• Society

Updated 02/27/2021 4:05 PM

"Charade".

This is how President Alberto Fernández, from Mexico, defined the fact that people continue to talk about the

VIP vaccination

.

Of that network of vaccines that were assigned irregularly to those close to the Government and that functioned in the Ministry of Health of the Nation and in the Posadas Hospital.

But the same day of the scandal that ended in the departure of Ginés González García and before Fernández's change of position, who now seeks to close the issue, the shaken health authorities of the country took an urgent measure to reduce "programmatic errors." of the vaccination plan against the coronavirus: the purchase of 20 million cards, for more than 30 million pesos. 

How much does the existence of these cards help transparency?

The new Minister of Health, Carla Vizzotti, authorized the purchase of cards to certify the application of the vaccine against Covid-19.

But in the Province of Buenos Aires, jurisdiction with the largest population in the country and the territory of Governor Axel Kiciloff, they will not use them.

"Province does not need. It will be for the vaccination that the Nation does, or for districts that have archaic systems," they told

Clarín

from the Buenos Aires Ministry of Health, where, they assure, they have

"the most advanced vaccination system in the country

.

"

From the first day of vaccination, at the end of December, the Province delivers a card with a

QR code

through which the inoculated person can "see their history and receive information."

It is a sheet that says Vacunate PBA and, as Kiciloff himself showed, also a celestial card, like a card.

But if Carlos Zanini, attorney for the National Treasury, very close to Vice President Cristina Kirchner, received the first dose of Sputnik V on the same day as Alberto Fernández, on December 21, and in the same place, the Posadas hospital - which Even if he is in the Province, it depends on the Nation-, having been listed as "health personnel", when he is a lawyer, and without prior appointment, could this advantage in line be avoided by having

a unique and non-transferable card?

It is the promise.

There are no technical or administrative details that explain how you could avoid misappropriation of doses.

The clear thing is that in the City of Buenos Aires, as they confirmed to

Clarín

, they will be implemented.

"By order of the Nation, it is for everyone," they said.

Even when those who were and are injected, as in the province, they also give them a record of what doses they received, when, where and what brand.

The new vaccination card that the Nation bought.

Although it was published on Monday in the Official Gazette, resolution 7/2021 is dated Friday, the day the VIP vaccination approved by the former minister was known.

It was one of the last resolutions of Vizzotti as secretary of Access to Health.

The total cost for the purchase of the cards, as reported, is 30,940,000 pesos.

"Approve the contracting for emergency Covid-19 No. 10/2020 for the acquisition of cards destined to certify vaccination and that the appropriate scheme has been completed,

collaborating in the reduction of programmatic errors and facilitating the registration of vaccinated people

, as well as Also the Specific Terms and Conditions that as Annex PLIEG-2021- 01940212-APN-DCYC # MS forms an integral part of this measure ", marks the first article of the resolution.

According to the card model that appears in Annex II, the 22x15-centimeter white cards that will be printed and will shape this document 

do not have specific numbering to avoid alteration or replication or a QR code

.

There is only general information on what to do in the presence of symptoms and the following fields to be completed "by hand": personal data of the person vaccinated, the reason for the vaccination indication, the brand of the vaccine, the doses received, the batch number , the vaccination date, the date of the next dose and the vaccination.

Meanwhile, the resolution does not even mention the mandatory nature of a stamp. 

There are two firms that won the bid: Javier Hernán Pérez Romero, for 2 million cards, for $ 3,040,000;

and 18 million cards awarded to Gráfica Latina, in exchange for $ 27,900,000.

The first delivery of cards, 25% of the total, must be made to the State within the next 10 days.

As explained, giving these cards to vaccinated people "will allow for

monitoring of the vaccination plan,

" which will be part of the program that the minister presented to the Chief of Cabinet, Santiago Cafiero, with two objectives: "to generate

traceability

of each vaccine once it enters the country "and" prepare a document in the National Immunization Commission "that clearly establishes who will be" the

priority groups

to receive the vaccine. "

The national health portfolio announced that a commission will be created to monitor the traceability of vaccination of strategic personnel -the officials- and will be made up of recognized experts in immunization, bioethics, health and rights.

It was also resolved to specify the

technical definition

on the scope of function in the State, risk and exposure of strategic personnel, who also must request prior authorization from the health portfolio to access vaccination.

But no mention was made of ID cards, which would exceed strategic personnel.

In fact, on the VIP vaccination list there are businessmen, journalists, former presidents and their daughters and relatives of union leaders, all of whom are outside the public service. 

This Wednesday, Minister Vizzotti launched the

Public Vaccination Monitor

, a registry that can be accessed online and that shows in real time information about the national vaccination operation against Covid-19.

It says how many doses were given, to which group and how many are yet to come.

But there is also no information on the cards acquired or how they will add transparency to the vaccination plan.

ACE

Look also

Axel Kicillof: "Vaccinating 30 thousand people a day, I anticipate, someone passes, it's wrong, but we are not going to stop vaccination"

Mirtha Legrand, on the VIP vaccination: "They backfired, now they are going to row for the elections"