- The Ministry of Health justifies the vaccinations “the management team is an essential part of the management of the pandemic”
Controversy within the Murcian Health Service (SMS) after learning that the Minister of Health, Manuel Villegas , has received the vaccine against covid-19.
Neither is he the only senior politician that has done so, as confirmed by the Ministry itself, which says that the members of the management team, who are all health workers, have received the vaccine.
The news, revealed by the newspaper La Verdad , has provoked a cascade of criticism and has even created a crisis within the regional government, whose Ciudadanos spokesman has called for the resignation of the head of Health.
“The management team is an essential part of the management of the pandemic,” the Ministry of Health has said, although they do confirm that all those immunised are medical staff by profession, unlike Minister Villegas, who is a cardiologist on leave of absence. They state that “Vaccination information is personal and confidential.”
The vaccination of Villegas and the senior officials means bypassing the protocol of the Ministry of Health, which established that in the first stage of the campaign people who carry out their work in health and social health centres (residences and front-line personnel would be vaccinated).
The Ministry of Health, defend themselves by saying that “the priority objective is to avoid outbreaks in any type of regional health facility that works in the management of the pandemic.”
Health explains that the process began with the vaccination of residences for the elderly, disability -both residents and workers-, as well as external companies. Afterwards, all personnel in public and private health centres were immunised, “prioritizing front-line personnel.” Currently, external companies that work in health centres are being vaccinated.
Among those health professionals who are being vaccinated are the staff of the Murcian Health Service and the Ministry of Health, all professionals belonging to the regional health system. This includes Public Health, trackers, laboratory and inspection staff. “All professionals who request it are vaccinated.”
