Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am informed that the International Vaccination Centre has been designated to provide specialised vaccination services in line with international requirements, including the administration of vaccines such as yellow fever, meningitis, Adacel vaccines, tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis, typhoid vaccines, COVID-19 vaccine for travellers to Hajj, hepatitis A vaccines, pre-travel prophylaxis tablets for malaria, and the issuance of internationally recognised vaccination certificates. These vaccines are inoculated by the public health nursing cadre. In response to the hon. Member, I wish to state the following – (i) in respect of the current service model, the IVC operates as a centralised service to ensure compliance with international standards for vaccine storage, handling and certification, availability of trained personnel authorised to administer specific travel vaccines and issue internationally recognised certificates, and adequate monitoring of adverse events following vaccination. (ii) government policy to ensure that all services provided under International Health Organisations remain safe, standardised, and internationally compliant. The current centralised model of the IVC has been effective in maintaining these standards. While decentralisation improves geographical access, it must be clinically justified and economically viable. Unlike routine immunisation services, travel-related vaccines are low in volume and irregular in demand, especially with multi-dose vials. There is high risk of wastage if turn out is low and involves high-cost vaccines with short shelf life. There are cold chain requirements such as yellow fever vaccine, which requires strict temperature control of 2 to 8 degrees centigrade. It requires strict certification protocols under international regulations. There is human resource limitation, that is need for specifically trained staff, for example, public health nursing officers and community physicians and will necessitate additional infrastructure. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in this context, indiscriminate decentralisation would result in underutilisation of resources and potential wastage, similar to challenges already observed in certain decentralised specialised services. As such, the International Vaccination Centre will remain the designated authority for specialised vaccines and certification. The priority of Government is not decentralisation, but rather providing efficient, safe, and internationally compliant service delivery. The current approach ensures optimal use of public resources while progressively improving accessibility where justified.

The Hon. First Member for Montagne Blanche and GRSE. BEL AIR & TROU D'EAU DOUCE – TRANSPORT CONNECTIVITY – BUS ROUTE & TAXI LICENCES