Bolivia Vaccinates 80,000 People in One Week

Bolivia’s government provided more than 80,000 Bolivians in the department of Cochabamba, with free vaccinations, inoculating against more than 15 diseases.

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Cochabamba’s director of health, Rodolfo Mena, announced Wednesday, that the ‘week of vaccination in the Americas’ program, held between April 22-30, had been a success. 80,000 have received vaccinations in the central region of Bolivia alone.

Mena said of the week’s events, “We have reached the expected goal in relation to that week, of the 22nd to the 30th of April, of the vaccination in the Americas. ... Our goal was to reach 80,000 doses ... we guarantee the prevention of more than 15 diseases, many of them fatal.” He also explained that people of all ages were eligible, but that the principal goal was to locate children who had never been vaccinated.

Mena also announced that the scheme would not end for those under 5, with state hospitals continuing the campaign.

Bolivia’s universal healthcare system, known as SUS, was launched by leftist President Evo Morales in March 2019.  By the end of that month, tens of thousands had already received free treatment. At the time Morales said; "In almost 20 days, 300,000 people have received care free of charge, to begin it's a lot," Evo Morales said in the state program "El Pueblo es Noticia," about the SUS.

A recent study by the thinktank CELAG, reported that Bolivia would have lost out on a huge US$74 billion in revenue were in not for Evo Morales’ nationalization of the country’s natural gas and strategic industries. Likely making healthcare and other social programs unaffordable.