MANILA, Philippines — The indemnity program for vaccinees who suffered serious adverse events following immunization against COVID-19 is already in effect, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) said Tuesday.
PhilHealth’s Vice President for Corporate Affairs Shirley Domingo said the program, also called the COVID-19 Vaccine Injury Compensation Package, took effect following the publication of its implementing guidelines in a broadsheet earlier this month.
“Actually it took effect already because this was already posted in a national daily. So this is already in effect,” Domingo said in an online media forum.
The program was created by virtue of the Republic Act No. 11525 or the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act and the PhilHealth Board Resolution No. 2603 series of 2021.
Under the package, a maximum of P100,000 may be provided for hospitalization.
“The claim corresponds to remaining charges on top of PhilHealth benefits and other health benefits provided by private health insurances and health management organizations,” Domingo’s presentation during the forum read.
Meanwhile, a lump sum of P100,000 may be provided for permanent disability or death. This means the payment for such cases can only be made once per beneficiary.
Those eligible to claim the benefits are the person vaccinated who suffered a serious adverse event, primary beneficiaries such as legal spouse and children, and secondary beneficiaries such as legitimate parents, according to Domingo.
Eligible recipients of the compensation should have received a vaccine dose at least once, with a vaccine that has not been granted a certificate of product registration (CPR) by the Food and Drug Administration. To note, vaccines currently being administered in the country are still under emergency use authorization.
Domingo said the result of causality assessment for the serious adverse event should show it is a “vaccine-product related reaction” or a “vaccine quality defect-related reaction” for a person to get the compensation.
However, there are some exclusions.
Domingo said a person is not eligible to get the benefits if the vaccine in question has already been granted a CPR, if he/she already received or plans to receive compensation through the COVAX No Fault Compensation Program, and if the causality assessment showed that the serious event he/she experienced is not a “vaccine product-related reaction” or “vaccine quality defect-related reaction.”
According to the PhilHealth official, claims from March 3, 2021 to March 2, 2026 or until completion of the COVID-19 vaccination program, whichever comes earlier, shall be included.
The program is valid until terminated by the President based on recommendation of the Permanent Committee, for a span of five years or until completion of the national COVID-19 vaccination program, whichever comes earlier.
RELATED STORIES
PhilHealth still finalizing vaccine indemnity guidelines; solon says ‘not acceptable’
Indemnity for vaccine side effects may be processed by PhilHealth, other agencies — solon