Pass P1.16 billion supplemental budget for Dengvaxia victims, Senate urged

MANILA, Philippines — The proposed P1.16-billion supplemental budget extending medical assistance to some 900,000 children vaccinated with Dengvaxia will be sent by the House of Representatives to the Senate for its immediate concurrence and approval. 

“We intend to send the supplemental budget to the Senate as soon as possible after approving this on third and final reading this week. This is very important to provide medical assistance to Dengvaxia vaccinees and we will act with urgency,” Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles said over the weekend. 

The chairman of the House committee on appropriations said he expects his colleagues to approve on third and final reading House Bill 7449 either tomorrow or on May 30 after endorsing the measure for plenary passage last week.

On the other hand, the Senate committee on finance will take up today the proposed supplemental budget to finance the medical assistance of the children and other individuals injected with Dengvaxia.

Sen. Loren Legarda, chairperson of the committee on finance, said the public hearing today would consider three bills filed by her, Senators Richard Gordon and Joseph Victor Ejercito for the same purpose.

The P1.161 billion represents the money refunded by French drug manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur to the Philippine government for the unused Dengvaxia vaccines it returned to them.

Sanofi was forced to provide the refund after controversy broke out about its vaccine based on its own admission that it could pose serious risks to individuals who have never been infected with the dengue virus before.

Legarda aired her hope that the medical assistance to be funded by the supplemental budget, once enacted into law, will allay fears of the public, particularly the families of the more than 800,000 children given the dengue vaccine. 

The Department of Health (DOH), through Undersecretary Rolando Domingo, earlier assured Nograles that his request to cover vaccines, even if their illnesses are not related to the vaccine, will be carried out in the implementation of the program.

Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte has pinpointed a weakness in the DOH’s response mechanism for Dengvaxia vaccinees, one that could give the victims of the controversy even more anguish.

Villafuerte observed that the health department has an “awareness and accessibility” issue when it comes to handling the families of school children administered the anti-dengue vaccine.

In a previous hearing, Villafuerte was able to show that the relative of an ordinary vaccinee Mark Joseph Samonte was actually clueless about the government’s so-called “Dengvaxia fast lanes” where its officers could give victims timely assistance. 

“While you have all of these, it’s not publicly known. I, for one, a congressman, didn’t know that. What more the ordinary people who have been affected. There’s an issue on awareness and accessibility,” he told the health officials. 

Samonte’s mother Girlie was invited by the Nograles committee since hers was among the more serious cases of a child falling sick just weeks after being inoculated with Dengvaxia. She said a vessel in her son’s brain was ruptured.

Villafuerte said that while Congress is committed to appropriate funds to address the Dengvaxia mess, he expressed concern that the assistance might not reach the ground at the proper time because of this disconnect between the DOH and the victims.            

Health Undersecretary Rolando Domingo, who attended the hearing on behalf of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, told the House appropriations panel about the DOH’s two dedicated hotlines for Dengvaxia assistance, namely 711-1001 and 711-1002.

“I’ve been calling this number but there never was any answer,” Villafuerte complained.

“What I’m saying is, if you’re targeting over 800,000 Dengvaxia beneficiaries, it’s really hard, it’s really very difficult. This should not just be limited to calls, but should also have text hotlines so that they can text and you will text them back when and where to call.”

Girlie confirmed Villafuerte’s assessment that it was next to impossible to contact DOH.

Girlie said she was so desperate to get help after government doctors told her that her son had to undergo a four-vessel angiogram. The procedure costs P55,000 and could lead to an operation depending on its results. – With Marvin Sy, Mayen Jaymalin