Malacañang on Thursday welcomed the Senate’s approval of House Bill 7448 seeking to provide a supplemental P1.161-billion budget for the medical assistance of children who were injected with the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine.
“The Palace appreciates the Senate’s prompt approval of the Dengvaxia supplemental budget,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said as the Senate approved on third and final reading the measure by voting 18-0.
Senators also hailed the Senate’s approval of the supplemental budget.
Senator Loren Legarda, sponsor of the bill and head of the Senate committee on finance, said the measure would provide medical assistance for the hospitalization and out-patient care services to all dengue patients, including those who received the Dengvaxia vaccine.
“Through this we hope to, somehow, allay fears of the almost 900,000 individuals who were administered with the Dengvaxia vaccine,” she said.
Senator Richard Gordon commended the passage of the bill seeking to allocate a supplemental budget.
The measure is expected to benefit nearly 900,000 children administered with the vaccine.
The P1.161 billion was sourced from the refund given by Zuellig Pharma, the local distributor of the anti-dengue drug manufactured by the French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur.
The budget was given to the government for the unused vaccine doses and vials purchased during the Aquino administration.
The Department of Health will be the supervisory agency to administer the fund and medical assistance program for the people who received the vaccine.
Around P945,827,530 will be used for the medical assistance program, P78,296,250 for the assessment and monitoring of Dengvaxia-vaccinated children, P70,000,000 for supplies and medicine, and P67,586,220 for the health workers to be deployed to monitor the vaccinated children.
Upon the signing of the bill into law, the Health department will issue several guidelines for the application of the medical assistance program.
“We’re extremely gratified by the Senate’s action approving the Dengvaxia supplemental budget, which is about 1.161 billion successfully demanded by the DOH from the Sanofi about three or four months ago, and was returned to the Bureau of Treasury,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told reporters.
Duque, who discussed the rehabilitation and reintegration programs of the Health department, said they were more confident about extending aid to those who needed it.
“Finally, we will be able to more confidently provide the necessary surveillance, monitoring, treatment, interventions and hospitalization for whoever among the population of close to 900,000 Dengvaxia vaccinees will need those,” he said.
“We’re very, very gratified. And thanks to the House and the Senate for their most positive decision to pass and approve this bill.”
In 2016, the Philippines became the first country in the world to launch a nationwide anti-dengue program with a new drug called Dengvaxia.
In November 2017, however, Sanofi Pasteur admitted that children who hadn’t had dengue but were given Dengvaxia shots were more prone to have a severe case and hospitalization up to the fifth year after immunization.