DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III talks to a patient on a hospital he visited
MANILA, Philippines — Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III visited San Lazaro Hospital and Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center on Friday.
During the visit, the health secretary found out that some hospitals refuse to accommodate or are collecting fees from parents of Dengvaxia vaccinees for the children’s checkup and other medical needs.
For this reason, Sec. Duque has decided to visit other hospitals in the country to ensure that the needs of Dengvaxia vaccinees or those who were administered with Dengvaxia are being provided for free.
“I want to do surprise visits so that I will find out,” said the health chief.
Most of the vaccinees who are now admitted to hospitals in Manila City come from Cavite and Navotas. They said that the hospitals in their areas could not provide their medical needs.
Some Dengvaxia vaccinees are currently confined in the San Lazaro Hospital after being diagnosed with dengue or other ailments such as sinusitis or frequent headaches.
Secretary Duque, meanwhile, advised parents not to lose their trust in other immunization programs of the DOH, especially those that are already tried and tested such as vaccination against measles, tuberculosis, tetanus, and hepatitis-B.
On Tuesday, an agreement is set to be signed by the DOH, the Philippine Hospital Association (PHA), the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), the Private Hospital Association of the Philippines (PHAPi) and the Association of Hospital Administrators.
The agreement aims to ensure that proper medical assistance is given to Dengvaxia vaccinees.
“Number 1: no balance billing. So kung ano na yung singil ng PhilHealth, okay na dapat yun (so whatever expenses PhilHealth can cover should be enough). Number 2, magkaroon ng (there should be a) dengue triaging, Dengvaxia triaging and one-stop shop or an express lane to prioritize our patients, our Dengvaxia patients, whatever symptoms might be. — Aiko Miguel | UNTV News & Rescue
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