ROSE PHARMACY JOINS VAX DRIVE, LEADS WAY IN VISAYAS
The Gokongwei group’s Rose Pharmacy has become the first drug store chain in the Visayas to facilitate the government’s COVID-19 vaccination drive, as part of efforts to scale up the inoculation of people outside Luzon.
Rose Pharmacy, the leading drugstore chain in Visayas and Mindanao under Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. (RRHI), has committed to support the government’s “Resbakuna sa Botika” program in Cebu City starting Feb. 2.
In collaboration with major drugstore chains across the country, the program is the latest vaccination drive spearheaded by the National Task Force Against COVID-19’s National Vaccination Operations Center, the leading agency of the Department of Health (DOH) dedicated to making COVID-19 vaccines accessible to the public.
“The Omicron variant continues to pose a serious risk to our health-care workers and to the general population, so mobilizing the vast network of pharmacies and pharmacists nationwide is a big step in the right direction in our united fight to beat this pandemic. Our participation in this vaccination program is consistent with our business purpose of improving the quality of life of our customers,” said Michael So, deputy general manager of Rose Pharmacy.
“We are pleased to once again be part of Resbakuna sa Botika, this time with Rose Pharmacy in Cebu. We fully support the DOH’s efforts to bring COVID-19 vaccines closer to people. The program affirms our collective position that vaccination offers a significant degree of protection to individuals and communities, which is necessary to mitigate the impact of the ongoing pandemic to the lives and livelihoods of Filipinos,” said Christine Tueres, group general manager of RRHI’s drugstore segment.
Safer communities
The launch of the drugstore vaccination drive was attended by Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Deputy chief implementor and testing czar Secretary Vince Dizon and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama. They expressed the importance of private partnerships to build safer communities through vaccination and how the country is now better prepared in managing the current health crisis.
RRHI has 870 drug stores under the Rose Pharmacy and Southstar Drug brands. It also owns and operates The Generics Pharmacy, which has over 2,000 franchised stores nationwide.