After expiring in the last legislature for lack of agreement in the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate of the Republic approved in first reading the vaccine bill.
The initiative, which was reintroduced in this legislature, was released from the process of going to committee as it had no changes with respect to the piece which was approved in two readings last period.
The piece seeks to ensure adequate protection of the population against vaccine-preventable diseases, through the regulation and promotion of mechanisms to ensure that all public and private institutions in the national health system acquire vaccines, their inputs, associated equipment and their supply.
Similarly, the project establishes the means to ensure the availability, distribution, proper conservation, prescription and application thereof, in accordance with the national vaccination scheme and procedures established by the Ministry of Public Health.
The legislative initiative is co-authored by Senators Doctor Baptista Antonio Rojas Gómez (Sisters Mirabal); Embolica Díaz Santana (Azua); Faride Raful (National District); Melania Salvador Jiménez (Bahoruco); and Ginnette Bournigal de Jiménez (Puerto Plata).
The bill was “stuck” in the House of Representatives, after lower house lawmakers alleged the initiative made it mandatory to vaccinate and they never agreed on the drafting of the report or its approval.