NAIA TERMINAL 3, PASAY CITY — Representatives from Israel’s Ministry of Health arrived here on Sunday, June 20, to share their country’s best practices that can help the Philippine government further improve its vaccination rollout.

Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., vaccine czar and National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer, welcomed the Israeli delegation, composed of

Avi Ben Zaken, deputy director general of Ichilov Medical Center; Dafna Segol, consultant of Healthcare Policy and Innovation; and Adam Segal, logistics and operations manager of Salomon Levid & Elstein Ltd.

“We in the task force have been looking forward to sharing experiences with our counterparts from Israel. We are very eager to learn from you, especially the strategies and techniques you have successfully employed in your country’s vaccine program,” Galvez said in his remarks during the welcome ceremony.

Israel has already lifted its face mask policy following the successful implementation of its vaccination program.

According to Galvez, the medical experts will provide insights on vaccine deployment, cold chain solutions, and strategic communications, among other topics.

“The inputs from our guests will enable us to fine-tune our approaches so that we can get the anti-COVID jab into the arms of as many Filipinos in the most effective and efficient ways possible,” Galvez said.

Timely arrival

The visit of the Israeli medical experts comes a day after the Philippine government signed a landmark supply agreement with pharmaceutical firm Pfizer, for the procurement of 40 million doses of its anti-COVID vaccines.

Galvez shared that with the expected arrival of the procured Pfizer vaccines around the third and fourth quarter of 2021, the government is eyeing to expand the coverage of its vaccination rollout to cover children.

“We are expecting (to vaccinate children) once our pediatric experts say that we can go ahead with the vaccination, considering that we have enough vaccines (by that time),” he said.

Galvez added that half of the 40 million Pfizer doses shall be allocated for children.

Lessons learned

The Israeli delegation, which will be in the country until June 25, will present their vaccination strategies to members of Philippine COVID-19 task force officials on June 21.

The delegation is also scheduled to meet with representatives of the United Nations and World Health Organization, as well as inspect several of the country’s cold chain facilities and vaccination hubs during their one-week stay in the Philippines.

“We thank our guests for travelling all the way from Israel and giving us a chance to learn from you. We believe that it is only through this kind of cooperation that nations across the globe will be able to address the challenges caused by this pandemic,” Galvez said. ###