Protesters converged on the Department of Health office in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Thursday and blasted officials for failing to administer vaccines to millions of Filipino children despite the P7.43-billion budget for its immunization program in 2018.
Carrying their babies, the protestors took turns assailing the DOH for being remiss in its mandated task, a failure that has led to outbreaks of measles in several parts of the country.
They said Health officials should be held accountable for the measles outbreak that affected mostly children, saying that it the victims were immunized, the outbreaks would have been avoided.
The DOH had earlier declared last month measles outbreaks in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Western Visayas, and Central Visayas.
Based on the DOH data, measles cases have reached 8,443 from Jan. 1 until Feb. 16 with 136 deaths.
The Anakalusugan party-list group challenged the DOH to account for how it spent its P7.43-billion budget for its immunization program last year.
“The DOH spent all of its budget last year for immunization. But by its own admission, its immunization rate in 2018 was only at 39 percent. This means more than two-million children did not get measles vaccinations,” Anakalusugan party-list nominee Mike Defensor said.
“DOH also had an advertising budget of P634 million last year. They cannot keep on invoking the vaccination scare brought about by the Dengvaxia mess. They should have used the budget to mount a massive information campaign to encourage parents to have their kids vaccinated. Their shortcomings are very clear,” he added.
Anakalusugan nominee Darlo Ginete said it was impossible for the Health department to have missed the increasing number of measles cases.
“In 2018, DOH reported a total number of 18,407 measles cases. Compared to only 2,428 cases in 2017, last year’s figure represents a nearly 800 percent increase in measles cases,” he said.
“How could they have not seen that trend? Why are they scrambling only now to raise awareness on the importance of the vaccination program when the numbers were glaringly clear as early as 2018?” Ginete added.
Of the total number of deaths recorded this year, 40 percent or about 54 deaths were children aged four years old and below.
Measles, which is a vaccine-preventable disease, may cause complications such as pneumonia and diarrhea and can lead to death if left untreated.
Immunization and Vitamin A supplementation for nine-month-old children remain the best defenses against measles.
READ: Get your kids vaccinated, parents told
The World Health Organization has warned that if the low immunization rate is not addressed, the Philippines is also in danger of seeing a reemergence of diseases such as polio.
“We are very concerned about the situation because there are many cases of measles that could have been avoided if we had achieved higher vaccination coverage,” said WHO country representative Gundo Weiler.
Meanwhile, a lawmaker said barangay health workers are proving to be a potent weapon in the campaign against measles.
READ: DOH outlay cut by P14 billion amid measles outbreak
In Iloilo, local officials gave the barangay health workers due to recognition to their effort and dedication to duty despite the low pay.
A total of 1,183 barangay health workers from Iloilo and Antique were the recipients of assorted grocery items distributed by Deputy Speaker Sharon Garin, along with Vice Governor Christine Garin of Iloilo, during a series of events from Feb. 1 to 13.
Neoly Mendoza, a barangay health worker who has been serving at Valderama, Antique for 39 years, described the rigorous routine that she and her fellow workers in the town have been doing since the measles outbreak was declared.
“Six of us go to each barangay to assist midwives in the vaccination everyday,” she said.
The latest figures from the DOH–Region 6 shows that Negros Occidental still has the highest number of cases with 196, followed by Antique, 122, Bacolod City, 64, Iloilo Province, 39, Capiz, 18, Aklan, 22, and Iloilo City, 15.
