The Department of Health recognized for its convenience Angeles City’s newly launched home vaccination program called “Suyod Bakuna sa Barangay,” being the first of its kind to be conducted.

Eric Paul Yumul, Development Management Officer of DOH assigned in the city, said this initiative of the LGU is convenient for the residents, being vaccinated at the comfort of their homes.

“Napakaganda ng initiative, yung mga hindi nakakapunta sa vaccination site, sila na mismo ang pinupuntahan. Ang convenient dahil nasa mismong bahay na, it will cost them less,” Yumul said.

Angeles City is the first to conduct this kind of program, according to Yumul, that instead of people going to the vaccination site, the vaccinators and health workers will go house-to-house to vaccinate them.

“Nauna po ang Angeles City. Unang LGU for the vaccination of house-to-house na pinupuntahan talaga. Sumama po ako, nakita ko po yung mga vaccinators pumupunta sa bahay. Sinusuyod nila bawat bahay para mabakunahan ang hindi pa nababakunahan for first dose, second dose, and even booster,” Yumul shared.

The Angeles City government on April 21, 2022 deployed 4 mobile clinics in Barangays Sapangbato and Margot for the kick-off of “Suyod Bakuna sa Barangay, Bakunahan sa Tahanan.”

Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. said this program seeks to identify and vaccinate all residents and non-residents, aged 18 years old and above, who are not yet vaccinated.

“Pagdating sa bakuna, ayaw po natin na may maiiwan,” Lazatin said.

The Suyod Bakuna will run until April 28, 2022, with the assistance of the City Health Office led by Dr. Verona Guevarra, and the mobile clinics ground commanders – City Social Welfare and Development Officer Edna Duaso and Angeles City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer-in-Charge Rodolfo Simeon.

Mayor Lazatin personally supervised the ongoing vaccination, where he urged his kababayans to get vaccinated, reiterating vaccine as the sole protection against the virus.

At the time of writing, 193 residents received their vaccine via the Suyod Bakuna.

IC Calaguas, chief adviser and chief implementer of the city government’s vaccination program, said the mobile clinics — two buses and two ambulances — will roam along the streets of the barangays unlike the Ronda Bakuna.

The coming schedule for the Suyod Bakuna will be announced and only posted at the City Information Office official Facebook page.

Dr. Cristine Joy Patio, Rural Health Unit Physician, said this program is to also educate and encourage unvaccinated hesitant residents and non-residents to complete the doses.

Nurse Supervisor Evelinda Mariano said that aside the Suyod Bakuna, the vaccination site at the Angeles City National High School will accommodate unvaccinated residents and non-residents, from 8AM to 4PM.

Mariano also mentioned that prior to the scheduled home vaccination, health workers were already deployed to identify unvaccinated residents and assess their health condition.