Vaccination center for seafarers set up at AMOSUP hospital in Mandaue

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

MANDAUE CITY -- The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) assisted the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and AMOSUP Seamen’s Hospital in setting up a vaccination center/site for seafarers on August 2 in Mandaue City.

This is in response to the request of MARINA and AMOSUP for a vaccination site for the seamen OFWs and following President Duterte’s directive to include overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and seafarers in the priority groups for the vaccination.

 “We have streamlined the vaccination for our seafarers in partnership with Mandaue City Government in response to the call of President Duterte of his Malasakit to our OFWs and seafarers," OPAV secretary Michael Lloyd Dino said.

Dino bared that after several meetings with the Department of Health (DOH-7), MARINA7, AMOSUP and Mandaue LGU, the team set up the vaccination center in Mandaue City since AMOSUP Seamen's Hospital-Cebu is in Mandaue.

According to Dino the DOH-7 has allocated 3,000 doses of Moderna vaccines for 1,500 seafarers who are required to register thru the local manning agency (LMA) so they can be included in the vaccination schedules.

Most of the seafarers requested Western-brand vaccines after most of the international shipping companies preferred these brands.  President Duterte said in June that seafarers will be given vaccine preference as "their work requires" these brands before redeployment.

 
Dino encouraged all seafarers especially those who are in Cebu to avail of the said vaccination program and coordinate with their LMAs that will submit the list to MARINA to inform the seafarers of their respective vaccination schedules.

Walk-ins are not allowed to ensure observance of protocols and to ensure the availability of vaccines on said schedules. 

To date, AMOSUP Hospital can accommodate 200 seafarers per day.  The vaccination schedules are on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. (Photos: OPAV/Google images)