Public Health distributes free flu vaccines to insured persons not affiliated with SESCAM

The General Directorate of Public Health of the Regional Ministry of Health of Castilla-La Mancha will distribute free doses of the influenza vaccine to individuals with health insurance other than that of SESCAM during the 2026-2027 campaign. This is established by the Resolution of 09/18/2026, published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha (DOCM) no. 188, of September 30, 2026, section III, pages 33302-33305, with official reference 2026/6925. The text is signed by the Director General of Public Health, Joaquín Torres Moreno, in Toledo on September 18, 2026.

The measure is based on the health promotion and disease prevention functions of articles 26 and 27 of Law 8/2000, of November 30, on the Health Organization of Castilla-La Mancha, and article 19 of Law 33/2011, of October 4, General Law of Public Health. The Regional Ministry has acquired the vaccines through a public tender to immunize different population groups according to their risk, regardless of the type of insurance. The stated objective is to reduce mortality and morbidity associated with influenza and its impact on the community, protecting both those at higher risk of complications and those who may transmit the virus to vulnerable people.

Free Distribution and Delivery Points

The resolution orders the free distribution of doses for administration to people with insurance other than that of the Health System of Castilla-La Mancha. Delivery will take place at:

• The Provincial Delegations of the Regional Ministry of Health of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Guadalajara, and Toledo.
• The Institute of Health Sciences (ICS) of Talavera de la Reina.

Centers receiving the vaccines may not pass on the cost to the patient nor to the mutual societies or companies for which they provide services; they may only charge for the cost of the medical act of administration.

Target Groups of the Campaign

The program prioritizes the population at higher risk of complications or severe conditions:

• People aged 60 or older.
• All children between 6 months and 7 years of age inclusive.
• People aged 8 to 59 with risk conditions, including diabetes mellitus and Cushing’s syndrome, morbid obesity, chronic cardiovascular, neurological or respiratory diseases, chronic kidney disease, immunosuppression, cancer, celiac disease, Down syndrome and dementias, or smokers.
• Pregnant women in any trimester, with preferential administration during pregnancy and the possibility of vaccination in the puerperium up to 6 months after childbirth.
• People aged 8 to 18 on prolonged treatment with acetylsalicylic acid, due to the risk of Reye’s syndrome.

Personnel from public and private health and social-health centers and establishments are also included, as well as essential public services—security forces and bodies, firefighters, and civil protection—caregivers and cohabitants of high-risk individuals, staff at nurseries and early childhood education centers for children up to 6 years old, and those with direct occupational exposure to animals or their secretions on farms and poultry, pig, or mink holdings.

Obligations of centers and campaign control

Health and social-health centers, services, or establishments located in the community must commit in writing to the fulfillment of the program using the model in Annex I before receiving the vaccines. Additionally, they must:

• Submit a weekly numerical declaration of the doses administered by risk group, using the model in Annex II, sent by email to the Provincial Health Delegation or the ICS.
• Record the vaccination act in the clinical history and report adverse effects through the pharmacovigilance system.
• Have the infrastructure to guarantee storage and administration while maintaining the cold chain.

The first week of the campaign will span from the publication of the resolution until Sunday, October 4, and subsequent weeks will be counted from Monday to Sunday, without accumulating doses from several weeks in a single record. The General Directorate of Public Health may carry out inspections or audits at any time, and non-compliance may lead to financial liability for the vaccines supplied and constitute a health violation according to articles 37.b) and g) of Law 8/2000. An administrative appeal may be filed against the resolution before the Health Councilor within one month.

The campaign expands access to immunization to a group that until now depended on their mutual insurance or company, and reinforces surveillance over the use of doses through weekly declarations and audits. For readers with insurance other than SESCAM, the resolution opens the way to be vaccinated free of charge in the centers adhered to the program during the coming months.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha (DOCM), no. 188, of September 30, 2026, section III, pp. 33302-33305 (official reference: 2026/6925).