The first batch of government workers was given free A(H1N1) vaccines as part of the country’s intensified campaign to curb the spread of the pandemic.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo launched Monday the Department of Health’s vaccination program against A(H1N1) or flu virus during a visit in Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte.

The President said the dozens of health workers in Kalawit are among the frontline workers at higher risk for getting the disease than ordinary people due to their exposure. She also hailed the sacrifice and hard work of health workers for their service to the people in guarding them against flu viruses and other diseases.

The government plans to vaccinate more than 420,000 health workers working in public and private sector in the coming days.

Next in the priority list for vaccination are around 2.5 million pregnant women, children six months to five years old, people aged 60 years and above, and those with chronic medical conditions.

In her remarks, the President claimed the government has made significant reforms to improve healthcare services for the people.

She said the government has set up hundreds of government drugstores that sell half-priced medicines, expanded the coverage of health insurance for indigents, and distributed conditional cash transfer for poor families during her term.

She also used the occasion to trumpet her economic achievements, including positive growth despite the global recession and the reduction in self-rated poverty in the country.

The Department of Health earlier obtained 1.9 million doses of the vaccine last month and plans to distribute them in various public and private hospitals.