Bangsamoro Parliament Member Dr. Hashemi Dilangalen. (Photo courtesy of BTA-BARMM)
COTABATO CITY – A physician member of the Bangsamoro parliament has filed a bill seeking to improve influenza or flu vaccination rates in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
In his proposal under Parliament Bill No. 275, BARMM lawmaker Dr. Hashemi Dilangalen underscored the establishment of a comprehensive public health literacy campaign whose aim is to educate every Bangsamoro citizen about the benefits of vaccination.
“There is a need for an extensive government-led campaign to raise awareness about the nature, benefits, and possible side effects of vaccines,” he said in a statement released Wednesday by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Media Office.
Dilangalen said allocating sufficient funds to make vaccines accessible across all age groups or providing affordable options “is long overdue” for the region’s inhabitants.
In addition, the proposed measure seeks to create a specialized Public Health Promotion and Communications Unit under the Ministry of Health that will help mitigate vaccine hesitancy, skepticism and uncertainty among the population.
Parliament members Ali Montaha Babao, Rasul Ismael, Tarhata Maglangit and Abdulwahab Pak are co-authors of PB No. 275. (PNA)
