The Minister of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires, Nicolás Kreplak, stated that the national government is promoting an anti-vaccination campaign, which exacerbates the problem of declining vaccination rates. He said this is an unacceptable dereliction of duty. Additionally, he noted the shortage of many vaccines, and every time there is a shortage, it represents missed opportunities.
In an interview with the Sin Corbata program on Splendid AM990, to which the Argentine News Agency had access, Kreplak indicated:
«Neither the cost is financed nor are awareness campaigns carried out, and what the government does is to boost the anti-vaccination discourse by signing agreements with a confessed, explicit, worldwide reference of the anti-vaccination movement who is in charge of health in the United States and holding mirror meetings in the National Congress».
«We are concerned because the lack of vaccination can cause diseases that we did not have before to reappear. A vaccination campaign is not just about providing vaccines, which this government does very poorly,» he added.
The minister also asserted: «The National State has decided that it has no responsibility regarding health. The vaccines on the Calendar are mandatory, and families must vaccinate their children».
Furthermore, the Buenos Aires provincial Health Minister said:
«Vaccination rates have been declining since 2016, there was a very significant drop during the pandemic, and in the Province we managed to increase the percentage, but it is still below what it was in 2019».
«Fortunately, we have managed to control the measles outbreak,» he said and added:
«We are trying to cover everything, oncological medications, disability issues that cost us a lot of money because we have to take charge of what the National State used to be in charge of».
Finally, Kreplak pointed out:
«In the COFESA (Federal Health Council), the proposal that the Nation made was the following: 'if in one year we had to vaccinate 100, we buy 100 vaccines to vaccinate 100, but we vaccinated 70, next year we are going to buy 70 so we don't spend extra money'. In reality, we should be buying 130».
