Rep. Johnny Pimentel said Sunday the Department of Health is spending another P213 million next year to deploy 425 more nurses “to keep an eye on the school children who received shots of the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.”
“The nurses will visit public schools to check on the health condition of the vaccinees, while others will be assigned to hospitals to keep close tabs on the admissions of vaccinees,” Pimentel said.
“The extra provision is already factored into the [department’s] proposed budget for 2019, and is on top of the P1.16 billion contained in the supplemental appropriations bill for this year that we already approved to support Dengvaxia vaccinees.”
Pimentel is a former chairman of the House good government and accountability committee that conducted a joint inquiry with the congressional health panel into the government’s controversial anti-dengue immunization program.
Over 870,000 school children received Dengvaxia shots under the public inoculation program that was launched in April 2016.
Pimentel said President Rodrigo Duterte was expected to sign into law shortly the supplemental appropriations bill allocating P1.16 billion “to provide the necessary health and medical assistance to Dengvaxia vaccinees.”
The House passed the Palace-certified supplemental appropriations bill on third and final reading on May 29.
The Senate approved its version on Sept. 5.