President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday sought for a concerted government effort for the successful implementation of the Department of Health’s (DOH) national immunization program.

President Marcos met with the DOH and other agencies at Malacañan Palace to discuss updates on the program.

President Marcos said the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) will devise a program to inform the public about the government’s massive vaccination program.

In a media briefing at Malacañang, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said he mentioned to the President the need to involve the private sector in the nationwide campaign.

“Kasi nakita ko noong COVID-19 naalala ninyo – private sector ang malaking tulong kaya na-reach natin iyong 74 million na babakunahan. So, the private sector really is going to help us,” Herbosa told reporters.

He said the DOH is trying to make it mandatory for private clinics and practitioners to report the number of children they have vaccinated.

Herbosa said around 10 to 15 percent of the data are missing due to non-reporting by private healthcare providers.

Herbosa also cited the successful vaccination campaign in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as a result of the concerted effort to fight the measles outbreak in the region. PND