Another criminal case has been filed before the Justice department against former Health Secretary Janette Garin and others, but this time over the death of a doctor who was inoculated with the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine.
Assisted by the Public Attorneys Office, the complainant Norma Gotoc, mother of Kendric, a doctor who died in April last year after getting three shots of the anti-dengue vaccine, accused Garin and the other respondents of being responsible for her son’s death.
Just like the students who died allegedly after being inoculated with Dengvaxia, the doctor also had no dengue history when he received the vaccine. He also died of multiple-organ failure, multiple-organ hemorrhage and Neurotropic-Like Disease and Viscerotropic-like Disease Secondary to the Dengvaxia vaccination.
“All Respondents arbitrarily, maliciously and deliberately failed to inform the Dengvaxia recipients and their parents/families of the dangers and risks related to Dengvaxia and did not obtain their informed consent,” says the complaint filed by Gotoc’s mother.
She accuses Garin and other health officials of criminal liability after they “did not conduct a proper screening of the Dengvaxia recipients and conducted other relevant tests to determine whether the children could be inoculated with Dengvaxia.”
Besides Garin, the complaint included former Health Secretary Francisco Duque III in the charge sheet since it was during his watch when the victim received his vaccine.
Also named respondents again were the executives of Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur and distributor Zuellig Pharma.
This is the 31st case filed before the Justice department on the Dengvaxia controversy.
The department, through a panel led by Assistant State Prosecutor Maria Emilia Victorio, has already concluded the preliminary investigation on the first batch of cases involving the deaths of nine schoolchildren.
A separate panel of prosecutors led by Senior Associate Prosecutor Susan Dacanay has also concluded the preliminary investigation of the second batch of cases involving eight victims.
Meanwhile, the department has yet to start the preliminary investigation of the third batch of cases involving 13 victims.