QUEZON City Rep. Alfred Vargas on Thursday urged the national government and local government units (LGUs) to include persons with disabilities (PWDs) with mobility impairments in its house-to-house vaccination program against coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19).

In filing House Resolution (HR) 1727, Vargas, chair of the House committee on social services, noted that several local governments have rolled out house-to-house vaccination programs for bed-ridden residents and those with co-morbidities.

Vargas praised this effort by the local governments of Quezon City and several others as an innovative way of bringing the vaccination program directly to the residents, especially those who are unable to go to vaccination sites.

“Ang pagbabakuna ng house-to-house na ginagawa ng Quezon City at iba pang mga LGU ay patunay ng malasakit sa mga kababayan natin na nahihirapang pumunta sa vaccination centers. Dapat itong suportahan at palawakin pa ng national government para mas marami nating kababayan ang makinabang,” he said.

Vargas said PWDs with mobility impairments should also be included in the program since they are “among those deprived of access to such public services that require them to leave their homes.”

“Isa po sa mga sektor na lubhang naapektuhan ng pandemya ay ang PWDs, lalo na ang mga may mobility impairments. Sila ang mga nagsisikap maghanap buhay kahit may kapansanan, ngunit nahihirapang bumiyahe o makarating sa ibang mga lugar. Mungkahi kong isama rin sila sa house-to-house vaccination,” Vargas said.

“In a time when persons with disabilities face great marginalization economically and socially due to the pandemic, it is high time we uplift their spirits and encourage vaccination amongst high-risk communities,” the Quezon City lawmaker said in his resolution.

“It is the duty of the government to ensure with urgency that our services for the people are made accessible especially for the marginalized and underprivileged,” he added.

The resolution identifies PWDs with mobility impairment as those “who are unable to use one or more of his/her extremities, or lack the motor skills to walk, grasp, or lift objects.”

It also includes those who are bedridden, and who have suffered from stroke.

Vargas said PWDs with mobility impairments encounter difficulties in accessing necessary health services.

The national government has started its mass vaccination campaign against COVID-19 with a list of priority groups that include health workers, senior citizens, and persons with co-morbidities.

Government has said it intends to inoculate up to 70 million of the population to achieve herd immunity by end of the year.