A House leader has backed the passage of a bill providing for the mandatory immunization program for vaccine-preventable diseases.
Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy also called on the Department of Health to implement an open and competitive bidding process for pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs).
“Among these preventable diseases, pneumonia is one of the most dreaded, as it severely and adversely affects children and those of advanced age. It is among the top killer diseases in the country,” Herrera-Dy said.
In relation to the mandatory immunization program, Herrera said the PCV bidding should be open to all suppliers in the market today, especially in the light of the most recent studies of global health experts like the World Health Organization declaring the two PCVs in the market as comparable in performance.
Last year, the WHO released a position paper declaring PCV 10 and PCV 13 as equally effective in preventing overall pneumococcal diseases in children.
Following this announcement, the Department of Health requested the new Health Technology Assessment Council – which is mandated by the Universal Health Care Law to review existing health programs and benefits of the DOH and PhilHealth – to assess the Pneumococcal Vaccination Program in light of scientific evidence and the significant budget impact of this particular vaccine.
The DOH said it will push through with the PCV tender only after the HTAC completes its assessment.
“The procurement of the pneumonia vaccines alone for this year will cost around P4.9 billion, almost three times the amount of the Dengvaxia procurement. For this reason alone, we must be vigilant and make sure that the DOH will not favor a single supplier or a single type of pneumonia vaccine,” the Deputy Majority Leader said.
“I implore the DOH to complete its assessment of the viability all types of pneumonia vaccines and conduct an open and competitive bidding. We should not allow another monopoly to be put in place, especially for something as important as the pneumonia vaccines for children. We must ensure the safety and quality of our vaccines.”
“An open and competitive bid will allow the DOH to choose the best supplier that will not only provide vaccine protection but will also give the government substantial savings that can be used to provide a wider vaccine coverage or to fund other vaccine-related projects,” Herrera-Dy added.