The Office of the Comptroller of Puerto Rico published a coordinated audit on the actions of the Department of Health to immunize the population against COVID-19. The audit, led by the Comptroller General of Peru, analyzes the situation in Puerto Rico and other regions with respect to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on Health and Well-being of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
In particular, compliance with SDG Target 3B was analyzed; that is, to support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and noncommunicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, and to provide access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines. The joint Report including all regions will be issued by the Comptroller of Peru.
The Special Report reveals high levels of compliance in the Department of Health's vaccine coverage in planning, programming, management and execution, human resources and training, supervision and evaluation, as well as in the information systems. With respect to the social participation component, the audit concludes that the Department must develop, at the local level or jointly with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tools for greater social participation and reception of citizen input to improve the vaccination processes.
The audit also indicates that no fragmentation, overlaps, duplications, or gaps were identified in the policy associated with the vaccination process. Rather, the vaccination process in Puerto Rico was defined by the CDC standards and its execution was carried out through the Department of Health's Vaccination Program. In addition, the governmental management of the budget, personnel, infrastructure, equipment, and the monitoring and follow-up systems to address vaccination against COVID-19 effectively ensured vaccination coverage of the population.
The report comments that the government should evaluate the possibility of incorporating the sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda into the strategic plans of each government agency as applicable. This consideration is intended to improve the services offered to citizens.
For the audited period, the Department of Health received $49,350,738 in state funds and $1,146,602,053 in federal funds.
This special report covers the period from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021, and is available at www.ocpr.gov.pr.
CONTACT: Lisandra Rivera Rivera, Director
Office of Press and Communications
(787) 250-3322
Audit Report DA-23-12 is available on our website: www.ocpr.gov.pr.
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