THE programs and daily operations of the Cebu City Health Department (CHD) may be sacrificed because of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in the city.
CHD officer-in-charge Jeffrey Ibones said that if the Cebu City Government opens more vaccine sites and it cannot outsource or hire doctors to be deployed to the vaccine sites, some programs of the CHD will be affected.
Ibones said the CHD can still function with the deployment of its doctors to the two vaccine sites: University of Cebu (UC) Banilad and Robinsons Galleria. But if the City opens more like in SM City Cebu in North Reclamation Area, there is a need to hire or outsource more doctors.
The City now has three vaccine sites as SM Seaside City also offered its place. Doctors assigned there are from the Perpetual Succour Hospital.
Ibones said the CHD only has 38 doctors, including the job-order employees, but one vaccine site needs at least eight doctors—one for the screening stage, five for counseling, and two for the monitoring of vaccinees.