An alliance of welfare groups presses the government to provide free flu vaccines to seniors citizens
While the government had increased senior citizen discounts on basic goods, the welfare groups asserted that the lack of free health services like vaccines for the elderlies who are “most vulnerable “are badly needed.
Ricardo Samaniego, founder of the Philippine Coalition of Consumer Welfare Inc., noted that the low vaccine uptake was primarily due to lack of public awareness and the high cost of vaccines.
He said the government’s free vaccination program stands as their only means of protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.
Roderick Alapar, lead convenor of Bayan Bakuna, said seniors “have the right to receive life-saving vaccines for free.”
He said the government needs to start strengthening immunization efforts for the elderlies to promote a healthy aging society.
The two groups emphasize the importance of a united front to safeguard the seniors’ overall well-being and alleviate the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) in the country.
Experts noted a trend of low vaccine uptake among seniors, while the country is expected to have an aging population by 2030.
As of latest surveillance data, only 36.3 percent of adults aged 60 and older are vaccinated against influenza in the Philippines, but flu remains to be one of the leading causes of mortality among seniors.
Doctors said that up to 85 percent of flu-related deaths involved those aged 65 years old and above.
The Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 mandated the Department of Health (DOH) to provide free influenza and pneumococcal vaccines for the indigent senior citizens. However, the Philippine Coalition of Consumer Welfare and various legislators have been advocating in expanding this right to cover all senior citizens in the country.
Some local government units in the National Capital Region (NCR) such as Makati City and Taguig City have taken proactive measures since 2017 and have been providing free flu shots to senior citizens who are registered voters, effectively increasing vaccine uptake rates in those areas.
Meanwhile, smarting from the COVID-19 pandemic, both groups stressed the importance of providing free elderly flu vaccines around May and June, before peak flu season to ensure healthcare system is prepared.
The two advocacy groups also called for the inclusion of other appropriate vaccines in the government’s free vaccination program with dedicated budget allocations in the General Appropriations Act.
These measures not only promote healthy aging population, but also ensure robust protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.