Mandaue City needs more doctors and nurses for vaccination program

Subangdaku Barangay Captain Ernie Manatad

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — Mandaue City is encouraging doctors and nurses who want to become part of the city’s vaccination teams to submit their applications at the Mandaue City Health Office.

Subangdaku Barangay Captain Ernie Manatad, chairman of the city’s COVID-19 vaccine board, said they are still in need of contractual doctors and nurses for the city’s mass vaccination program.

Manatad said that currently, the city has only 14 vaccination teams, almost half of the 27 they needed for the mass inoculation.

Lawyer Lizer Malate, head of the city’s vaccination center, said a vaccination team is composed of six health workers.

Malate is encouraging health workers who would want to apply to submit their application at the Mandaue City Health Office.

“They can also accept mga volunteers to help us in this endeavor kay importante baya ni gitawag baya ni nga bayanihan recover as one so we need everybody’s help, every body’s cooperation, and any form of assistance will really be a big boost in this fight against COVID,” said Malate.

Lawyer Giovanni Tianero, the city’s budget officer earlier said hired that personnel would have the standard salary of these positions but with no other benefits.

Meanwhile, Manatad said they are also eyeing to use to Mandaue City Isolation Center built at the former Cebu North Bus Terminal in Barangay Subangdaku as the city’s additional vaccination sites for the mass inoculation.

As of the moment, the MCIC was used as the city’s expanded swabbing center.

The vaccine board has identified three vaccination sites namely, the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex, University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu-Mandaue (UCLM) campus’ new building, and the Gullas hospital. The first two are currently used by the city.

Malate said they will not yet use the Gullas hospital so as not to spread the personnel too thin. /rcg