House OKs on final reading P1.16-B budget for Dengavaxia patients

The House of Representatives on Tuesday night approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 7449, which seeks to allot P1.161 billion supplemental budget for the medical assistance of Dengvaxia vaccinees.

The bill was approved on second reading and was consequently approved on final reading, with 231 affirmative votes and no negative votes and abstentions, after it was certified as urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte.

READ: Duterte certifies as urgent P1.161-B budget for Dengvaxia patients

A total of P1,161,710,000 is appropriated by the House appropriations committee to assist around 900,000 children vaccinated with the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine.

The bill was amended so that the budget could be used until the fund is fully utilized.

Under the bill, 81 percent of the P1.161 billion fund would be used to cover the medical assistance program or health assistance fund for Dengvaxia vaccinees.

Meanwhile, 13 percent – or P148.3 million – will be allocated to public health management, including the assessment and monitoring of vaccinees and their supplies and medicines; and 6 percent – or P67.6 million – will be allocated to human resource for health deployment, which includes follow up of vaccinees with complaints.

READ: House committee okays P1.161-B budget for Dengvaxia-vaccinated children

The government launched a P3-billion mass dengue vaccination program using Dengvaxia in April 2016, or at the tail end of the Aquino administration.

However, in November 2017, Sanofi Pasteur bared the results of its long-term follow-up study where it learned that “seronegative” vaccinees – children who never had dengue but were given Dengvaxia shots – had an increased risk of a severe case and hospitalization from the third year after immunization. /atm