Vaccination should be voluntary. Each person should decide independently whether to get vaccinated or not. We, society, can only help a person to take a correct decision, offering them the suitable instruments - correct and reliable informing and blocking of incorrect information, said experts invited to IPN’s public debate “Vaccination: paid or free, voluntary or mandatory, with or without a choice?”. As regards the selection of the type of vaccine, experts’ opinions about the ensuring of the right to choose differ. In normal conditions, the right to choose should be observed. In emergencies, the right to choose cannot be ensured. The transparency of public procurement and all the processes related to the delivery of vaccines will contribute to alleviating the consequences of the lack of choice.
According to experts, the vaccine should be free for each person, regardless of age and level of income. The state is obliged to take steps to ensure this. The sources for covering the costs for the vaccine can vary. The vaccine can be provided as humanitarian aid, can be purchased by the state or by the private sector and offered free to the citizens. The vaccine passports are now at the level of idea, but can soon become mandatory for leaving the country.
“The citizens are insufficiently informed about vaccination: what benefits it offers, what are the arguments in favor and against. Since the start of the pandemic, many experts have talked about everything and nothing. Acknowledging the necessity of vaccination is the task of the whole society. This is a complex problem. Vaccination should be voluntary. Everyone should realize that the person is responsible for the possible consequences. Vaccination acknowledgment is at a very low level. When we say voluntary, we first of all mean responsibility,” said Socialist MP Vladimir Odnostalko, deputy head of the commission on social protection, health and family.
Besides the problem of acknowledgment, there are no vaccination ethics and state policies in the field, said MP of the Party “Dignity and Truth Platform” Liviu Vovc, secretary of the commission on social protection, health and family. As regards polls, he said these are an instrument for determining the situation. As the level of vaccination acknowledgement was very low, this study can be disastrous. The experience of the neighboring states (Romania) in organizing vaccination should be used. In particular, the pre-registration platforms can contribute to planning the purchase and supplying the vaccines. “Vaccination should take place by persuasion, not by constraint!” stated Liviu Vovc, noting the lectures and different publications can be used in the persuasion process.
“Information about vaccination should be available in an accessible way and language,” said human rights expert Anna Racu. According to her, liability for the distribution of fake news about vaccination should be introduced as this problem affects the safety of the state. There are many groups of people, including closed institutions, which have limited access to medical assistance and vaccination.
“Given that we are practically in a war with an invisible enemy, the standard methods of fighting in this war include the testing, treatment and vaccination. Vaccination should be free for the entire population,” said unaffiliated MP Ruxanda Glavan, a member of the commission on social protection, health and family. “The efficiency of the vaccination process depends on the length of all the stages. We should do our best and as swiftly as possible to make progress in this process. Two elements are important: supply of vaccines and universal population coverage.”
In conclusion, the experts said any person should have the right to refuse the vaccine. But they should realize that they assume a multitude of responsibilities. The goal is to inform the people correctly so that they could take the best decisions for them and the close ones.
The public debate “Vaccination: paid or free, voluntary or mandatory, with or without a choice?” is the 176th installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is supported by the Hanns Siedel Foundation.
