Designating vaccination sites solely for seafarers will reduce the bottlenecks faced by government PHOTO BY SEAFARER ERWIN TOLENTINO FOR THE “PROJECT SEA YOU” OF DÖHLE SEAFRONT MANILAThe Associated Marine Officers and Seamen's Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP) along with various stakeholders have called on the government to designate other vaccination sites solely for seafarers when the vaccination program starts this month. In a joint manifesto between labor and manning groups, AMOSUP President Dr. Conrado Oca expressed the union›s offer for the use of Seamen›s Hospitals throughout the country as vaccination centers for the seafarer›s vaccination program, but it still needs government support. Moreover, the AMOSUP president underscored: "Designating vaccination sites solely for seafarers will reduce the bottlenecks faced by the government and ensure that no workers fall through the gaps." The situation threatens the Filipino seafarers› niche in the global seafaring industry - with seafarers from China, Indonesia, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine now preferred over Filipino seafarers due to cheaper deployment costs and the country›s capacity for a crew change." Existing DOH accredited hospitals and clinics devoted to seafarers should be designated as vaccination sites where the supply of vaccines in these medical facilities should be ensured by the government.

Source: Manila Times June 02, 2021 00:22 UTC