Duque rebuffs PAO chief on call to resign

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III yesterday decried as “malicious” and “baseless” the call of Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Acosta for him to resign over the Dengvaxia vaccine mess.

At the sidelines of the policy dialogue with stakeholders about the universal health care bill in Ermita, Manila, Duque also reminded Acosta of the high approval ratings of the Department of Health (DOH) in a recent survey by Pulse Asia.

“Sorry, Persida, but the public approval rating of the department is 80 percent under my watch,” Duque told The STAR, referring to the June 2018 Ulat ng Bayan where the DOH placed second with a 78 percent approval rating.

Duque also described as “malicious” and “baseless” the torture and reckless imprudence resulting in homicide charges filed against him before the Department of Justice (DOJ) over the death of 13-year-old Abbie Hedia, who died after receiving the Dengvaxia vaccine.

The girl received the vaccine on Nov. 17, 2017, or 11 days into the term of Duque as secretary, and died in February this year.

Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi disclosed the increased risk of contracting severe dengue for people injected with the vaccine but had not yet been infected with the virus.

Acosta and the parents attributed the children’s deaths to the vaccine, causing nationwide panic about the government’s immunization program.

Duque has said he immediately suspended the Dengvaxia vaccination after Sanofi made the disclosure.

The DOJ recently concluded its preliminary investigation into the homicide and torture charges filed against health officials, including former health secretaries Paulyn Ubial and Janette Garin.