The Algarve Health Centers are without flu, tetanus and diphtheria (Td) and anti-HPV vaccines, but the Regional Health Administration guarantees that the situations are in the process of being corrected, although in some cases only in the next year.
The most serious situation is that of the flu vaccine, which has been out of stock for a month in Health Centers. This vaccine is administered mainly to the elderly and some risk groups, such as people with chronic diseases, but since early November that the answer given to users is “there is no vaccine”, such as Sul Informação found out.
“It is a serious situation, especially because the flu vaccine has not been available in Algarve pharmacies either”, pointed out a health professional contacted by our newspaper.
However, in response to the questions posed by the Sul Informação, the ARS guaranteed that "in relation to the flu vaccines, from December 9th [Monday], they will be available again in the ACES of the Region, according to the estimated needs."
In mid-November, the Ministry of Health announced that it had purchased 1,1 million vaccines to be administered free of charge at health centers to people over 65 years of age, health professionals and the chronically ill in hospitals and nursing homes. But, at least in the Algarve, not all the necessary vaccines have arrived yet.
Regarding the lack of vaccine against HPV (human papilloma virus, associated with cervical cancer), which is included in the National Vaccination Plan for young adolescents aged 12 or 13, an email to which our newspaper had access, sent this week to Health Centers by the ARS, indicated that , "due to lack of supply of Gardasil vaccine stocks, according to information collected from the ARS pharmacy, there will be no new supply this year, thus maintaining the impossibility of initiation of Gardasil administration schemes, until further indication".
In your response to Sul Informação, the ARS clarified that the stock is "guaranteed for administration within the scope of the vaccination program against human papilloma virus, to complete vaccination schedules already started (which are divided into three doses)", but also admitted that "only at the beginning by 2014 we will then have the necessary vaccines to start the vaccination scheme for new users».
In other words, there are vaccines to complete the administration schemes that have already started, but the start of the vaccination of other users will have to wait, at least, by January 2014.
The same internal email from ARS also referred to the case of the Td vaccine (tetanus and diphtheria), which is also included in the mandatory vaccination plan, saying that «the supply of the Td vaccine will be soon, but no date yet».
This is confirmed by the ARS in its response to the questions posed by the Sul Informação: «ARS Algarve is not in a situation of complete stockout of vaccines against tetanus and diphtheria (Td) other than in occasional cases, promptly declared and promptly attended to».
According to the body responsible for the management of the Health Centres, "the procedure for the acquisition of over 14 thousand doses of vaccines against tetanus is currently underway, with a view to safeguarding future needs".
The Regional Health Administration of the Algarve also underlines, in its response to our newspaper, that «the purchase of vaccines at national level is centralized in the SPMS – Shared Services of the Ministry of Health».
On Monday, the newspaper “Correio da Manhã” denounced other situations of lack, this time in materials and medication in the Basic Emergency Services of Albufeira, Loulé and Vila Real de Santo António.
On the same day, the Board of Directors of ARS Algarve issued a statement guaranteeing that the situation had already been remedied 'through the distribution and acquisition of these materials'.
The malfunction of the X-ray equipment at the SUB in Vila Real de Santo António had already been resolved, added the ARS.
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