MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Peru's vaccination chief resigns

Jiménez claimed changes within the Ministry were “affecting” her work

Peru's Director of Immunizations Friday turned in her resignation to the Health Ministry citing declining efforts in the area to carry out its duties.

Gabriela Jiménez addressed her letter of resignation to Alex Holguín Ruiz, general director of the Directorate of Strategic Interventions in Public Health.

“After a year of management, today I present my irrevocable resignation to the position of executive director of the Immunization Directorate of the General Directorate of Strategic Interventions in Public Health of the Ministry of Health,” she wrote.

The outgoing official stressed she had worked through the second wave of COVID-19 in 2021, was “bigger than the first.”

Jiménez claimed changes within the Health Ministry were “affecting” the technical structure of the area she used to lead.

She stressed that not only had Minister Hernando Cevallos been replaced, but also the person she reported directly to: “4 changes of Directors in one year,” Jiménez underlined.

“I still remember vaccination day one: two 100-year-olds from San Juan de Lurigancho and our first organizational meetings with regional teams,” the resignation letter continues.

Jiménez also praised the home by home campaign to increase vaccination rates.

On Feb. 11 she had asked technical teams to move forward with vaccination, despite changes after the appointment of the new minister, Hernán Condori.

Cevallos said he was concerned over Jiménez's resignation, because ”it is going to hit the vaccination process.“

”This is very bad news, Gabriela Jiménez has been the one who managed the immunization work from the operational point of view and had developed a very important leadership to allow the decentralization and participation of the immunization team throughout the country,“ he added.

“She has had undeniable leadership over regional teams across the country,” Cevalos went on.

“Her departure is going to be a serious blow to the immunization process,” according to Cevallos.