REPURPOSING NEEDED State auditors said the ultra-low-temperature freezers, which were bought specifically for the Pfizer- BioNTech doses, could be used for keeping cancer medicines, clinical specimens, microorganisms and other sensitive biological products for research. 鈥擨nquirer file photo
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� With the country entering a 鈥減ostpandemic phase,鈥� the Commission on Audit (COA) has warned that P152 million worth of ultra-low-temperature freezers procured by the government for its COVID-19 vaccination program were in danger of going to waste.
Based on the special audit it conducted from May 2023 to January 2024 on the national vaccination drive vs COVID-19, the COA noted that several ultra-low-temperature freezers remain 鈥渋dle or unutilized鈥� while these could be repurposed for keeping cancer medicines, clinical specimens, microorganisms, and other 鈥渟ensitive鈥� biological products for research.
READ: DOH defends purchase of 鈥榳asted鈥� COVID-19 vaccines: It was an emergency
鈥淭his nonrefocusing or nonrepurposing of these valuable assets, with an estimated total value of P152,118,000, hinders their potential to contribute to other critical healthcare needs,鈥� read the COA audit findings released in December 2024.
Majority bought
鈥淔ailure to properly repurpose these freezers could also result in failing to maximize the government funds spent and the value of donations on the said equipment,鈥� it noted, adding that the freezers could last up to 10 years.
Of the 243 freezers in 鈥済ood condition鈥� as of July 2024, 166 were purchased by the government. The rest came from donors.
The equipment was used to store specific COVID-19 vaccines, especially the Pfizer-BioNTech brand that needed to be kept and transported at temperatures ranging from minus 90 degrees Celsius to minus 60 C. The government bought these freezers to comply with the operational guidance for an ultra-cold-chain system set by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children鈥檚 Fund.
The same guidelines, however, urged countries to come up with a transition and maintenance plan on how the freezers could be used beyond the COVID-19 vaccination program.
The COA cited the disease prevention and control bureau of the Department of Health (DOH), which stated that the procured freezers were 鈥渧ersatile units [that] can serve as essential equipment for local health systems in clinical and research applications.鈥�
Among the bureau鈥檚 suggestions were to transfer the equipment to government-run research facilities such as the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, San Lazaro Hospital, and national warehouses or regional hubs to 鈥渁llow rapid deployment of ultra-low-temperature vaccines 鈥� in case of future needs.鈥�
Collaboration urged
The COA recommended that the DOH collaborate with other hospitals and local government units to ensure that any efforts to repurpose the freezers were 鈥渁ligned with the needs of the healthcare system.鈥�
A separate COA audit report covering the year 2023 showed that more than P11 billion worth of drugs, medicine, and supplies, including 7 million vials of COVID-19 jabs, expired that same year.
The DOH responded by defending the procurement of millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines that eventually went to waste, saying it was done to save lives during a global emergency.
鈥淭he COVID-19 vaccination exercise did not have the benefit of years of planning and preparation like other routine and established vaccination programs. It was an emergency, a matter of life and death,鈥� it said in a statement.
Latest DOH data showed that more than 177 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including booster shots, have been administered nationwide since the government鈥檚 inoculation program was launched in 2021.