Free hospitalization for Dengvaxia cases – DOH
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III yesterday stressed that hospitalization in both public and private hospitals is free of charge for children who experience complications and adverse effects after receiving shots of the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.
Duque disclosed that a good number of parents and guardians have been worrying about the costs of hospitalization and the extent of coverage from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
He assured that PhilHealth met with the Philippine Hospital Association and asked the private hospitals not to charge the amount exceeding the PhilHealth allocation to the patients and just ask the government to pay for it.
" For the private hospitals, we have talked to the Philippine Hospital Association and told them not to ask the parents for the amount exceeding the PhilHealth allocation as these parents are usually underprivileged," he said.
Should they be charged by private hospitals, Duque advised parents to keep the receipt for reimbursement purposes.
" We also told them that if they cannot control some of the private hospitals who are asking for payment, since they are not government hospitals, they may keep the receipt and that will be reimbursed by the DOH for as long as they have proof of payment," Duque pointed out.
On November 29, 2017, Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur announced a new finding on the vaccine which was used in the government's mass immunization program involving around 830,000 children.
"The analysis confirmed that Dengvaxia provides persistent protective benefit against dengue fever in those who had prior infection .... For those not previously infected by dengue virus, however, the analysis found that in the longer term, more cases of severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection," Sanofi said in a previous statement.
On December 1, 2017, Duque put on hold the government’s vaccination drive.
So far, the DOH said 29 children who received Dengvaxcia shots have died.