Lawmaker seeks P1-billion fund for Dengvaxia patients

Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas asked Congress yesterday to create a P1-billion fund to help children inoculated with the controversial dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

In a resolution, Vargas said the money could be given to the Department of Health (DOH), which in turn could allocate it to government hospitals where the agency has set up a dengue vaccine desk to facilitate the treatment of children complaining of ailments arising from vaccination.

“We have to make sure that these children are safe and protected from any health-related incidents pertaining to the administration of the vaccine and we have to be prepared to provide all necessary treat- ment if needed for the children who may get sick after vaccination,” he said.

He lamented that the Dengvaxia controversy “has caused not only panic and paranoia among the vaccinated children and their parents, but also mental and emotional trauma among the families of the children who have died.”

“Because of this unfortunate incident there is an urgent need for the government to provide funding to finance the needed cure or medical care for the vaccinated children, as well as for counseling of the families of the deceased victims,” he said.

The DOH yesterday signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with private and public hospital organizations and doctors’ groups to ensure adequate and quality services for Dengvaxia vaccinees.

According to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, the signing of the MOA is a result of the clamor of parents of the vaccinees during the agency’s visits to different schools and hospitals in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Central Luzon and Central Visayas.

Under the MOA, all Dengvaxia vaccinees shall be covered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. under its No Balance Billing program, “particularly those in private confinement and under the care of private practitioners to relieve them of paying out-ofpocket expense.”

The accord was signed by Philippine Medical Association president Irineo Bernardo III; Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. president Rustico Jimenez; Philippine Hospitals Association of the Philippines president Huberto Lapuz and Association of Hospital Administrators president Epifania Simbul.

To clear up the confusion caused by separate investigations by three agencies, lawmakers have urged President Duterte to create a single probe team composed of prosecutors from the Department of Justice and expert doctors and pathologists from the DOH and government hospitals.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman blamed chief public attorney Persida Acosta for the prevailing hysteria.

He said many parents are now so afraid of vaccination that they don’t want their children to be dewormed. –