With congressional hearings in the House of Representatives on the controversial dengue vaccine Dengvaxia wrapped up, Appropriations Committee Chairperson Rep. Karlo “Ang Probinsyano” Nograles warned against complacency as he reiterated his call for the Senate to approve the proposed P1.161 billion supplemental budget for almost a million victims of the Dengvaxia vaccine.
“The congressional hearings may be done, but the problem––the threats to the lives of children––is still there. The funds needed to monitor them and to prevent fatalities are still up to the Senate. These funds are needed now more than ever,” Nograles said.
“All this knowledge about the potential dangers of Dengvaxia won’t be of any use to us if we fail to act. The ill-advised actions of government put lives at risk, and only a well-informed response by government can mitigate those risks,” Nograles added.
In a meeting with affected families in Binangonan, Rizal, the seasoned legislator said he was hopeful that the supplemental budget would be approved by the Senate on August 28 so that the funds could be mobilized for those who were injected with Dengvaxia.
According to Nograles, in Binangonan alone, an estimated 700 children received the vaccine. The legislator said these recipients should be provided immediate access to medical care when they get sick.
“All this knowledge about the potential dangers of Dengvaxia won’t be of any use to us if we fail to act.”
“It doesn’t matter what these children get sick of. If they were injected with Dengvaxia, they are at risk, and the DOH should take care of everything. Hospitalization, medicines, all of these should be provided,” said the solon from Davao.
In the meeting, representatives from the Samahan ng mga Magulang, Anak, at Biktima ng Dengvaxia (SMABD) told Nograles that they badly need medical assistance. “Every day, we ask ourselves; will our children still be alive tomorrow?” they said.
Nograles assured members of the support group that funds from the supplemental budget would allow the DOH to send teams of nurses and health workers to affected areas like Binangonan.
“It doesn’t matter what these children get sick of. If they were injected with Dengvaxia, they are at risk, and the DOH should take care of everything.”
“We will be able to send nurses, these nurses can go to the affected towns, to the barangays, go house-to-house if needed, to make proper medical profiles so that the DOH can build a database. They will also be able to provide assistance for Dengvaxia-vaccinated individuals if they need medical attention or are brought to the hospital,” added Nograles.
Last May, the House of Representatives unanimously approved House Bill (HB) No. 7449 measure, which set up a P1.161 billion fund as medical assistance for Dengvaxia vaccine recipients.
A counterpart bill is still pending at the Senate. The supplemental fund represents the partial reimbursement made to the Philippine government by French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur, makers of the controversial anti-dengue drug.
