The Government of La Rioja allocates 1.5 million to the purchase of 95,000 doses of the flu vaccine

At its meeting this Tuesday, the Government Council of La Rioja has authorized an expenditure of 1,531,400 euros for the acquisition of 95,000 doses of seasonal flu vaccines for the 2024-2025 vaccination campaign, which will begin next fall. .

The contract, which will last until December 31 of this year, will be processed through the state framework agreement, signed in 2021, to which the Autonomous Community is subscribed, which sets the conditions for the acquisition of these vaccines, as recalled by the spokesperson for the Rioja Executive, Alfonso Domínguez, who explained that the objective is to protect the Rioja population at risk, especially people over 60 years of age, with or without chronic pathologies, and children between 6 and 59 months of age.

The tender for which the expense has been approved is divided into three lots, as specified by the counselor: 345,800 euros for the acquisition of 35,000 doses of classic inactivated vaccines; 405,600 for another 30,000 doses of adjuvanted inactivated vaccines; and 780,000 for the purchase of 30,000 doses of high-load inactivated vaccines.

Domínguez, who stressed that vaccination “aims to reduce morbidity and mortality, as well as reduce the impact that this disease has on society,” detailed the results obtained in the community during the last protection campaign against the seasonal virus, launched on October 2 of last year among users of nursing homes and a week later in health centers for the rest of the population. At its conclusion on March 31, La Rioja reached a coverage of 25.15% in the entire target population, although with much higher rates in some specific groups: 92.55% in residences for the elderly , 79.16 among those over 75 years of age; 68.72% in pregnant women and 66.91 among the age group of 65 to 74 years. Without reaching 50% coverage, children aged 6 to 59 months (42.84%), health professionals (36.49%) and the population aged 60 to 64 years (38.84%) were left behind. In the case of the population between 5 and 59 years old, the percentage remained at 7.58%.

Works in January 2026

Also in the health field, the Government Council analyzed this Tuesday the situation of the bidding process for the preliminary project contract, detailed study, basic project, execution and voluntary direction of the construction work of the future Center of Specialties and Major Surgery ‘Adoración Sáenz’ Ambulatory, which will be built on the plot occupied by the old San Millán hospital, whose start is scheduled, as Alfonso Domínguez recalled, for January 2026.

As indicated by the spokesperson, nine groups of architecture and engineering studios have submitted their offers at UTE once the deadline expired, on the 13th of this month, for the presentation of proposals to design this complex planned next to the School of Nursing, a tender that exceeds 1.2 million euros.

After the summer, once the award is finalized, the winning company will have a period of 34 weeks to deliver the preliminary project, basic project, detailed study, and execution project. This phase is expected to end in the middle of next year to subsequently be able to process the tender for the work, beginning its execution, if the deadlines are met, in January 2026, has insisted the Minister of the Treasury, who has also detailed that the available plot has an area of ​​16,102.72 square meters, with a buildable area of ​​15,186.74 meters.

The future Center for Specialties and Major Ambulatory Surgery will be located in a space to the south of the School of Nursing, between it and the Plaza de Joaquín Elizalde, and, in turn, to the west of the Center for High Resolution and Care Processes (CARPA) . «The construction of this building, which will expand the healthcare complex in Logroño made up of the San Pedro de Logroño University Hospital, the CARPA and the Hospital of La Rioja, arises from the need to have a state-of-the-art healthcare facility for outpatient processes in general. and major outpatient surgery, in particular,” defended Domínguez, who specified that initially, the specialties that will be located in this Center will be Ophthalmology and Dermatology, as well as the Pain Unit.

Parity of treatment and opportunities

Finally, Gonzalo Capellán’s Cabinet has also approved the draft decree by which the Units for the Equality of Women and Men are organized within the Autonomous Administration to guarantee parity of treatment and opportunities.

These administrative teams are integrated into each Technical General Secretariat (SGT) and are in charge of proposing, monitoring and reporting on activities regarding equal opportunities for women and men within the scope of each department of the Rioja Executive, noted Domínguez, who added that the decree has a favorable report from the Advisory Council of La Rioja.