Ex-DOH Sec. Ubial wanted dengue immunization program stopped during term

Former Health Secretary Dr. Paulyn Jean Rosell Ubial on Tuesday remained firm in her stance that the dengue immunization program approved by the previous administration should have been stopped.

In a statement shown in a report on Balitanghali on Tuesday by Cedric Castillo, Ubial said she tried opposing the implementation of the program during the Congress budget hearing for the Department of Health but could not oppose their request for a second opinion.

"I was indeed pressured but I did not give in. You can see the budget hearing deliberations how members of Congress bullied me," she said in a text message.

"But the suggestion of a second opinion of convening a second Expert Panel, was made by them which I have no recourse at that point was to agree, because it's considered acceptable practice in medicine."

Ubial in December 2016 questioned before the House of Representatives' Committee on Health the timing of the dengue vaccination program that her predecessor, Dr. Janette Garin, started before the 2016 presidential elections.

She found the program to be expensive at P3.5 billion and unusual as it targeted a million children as opposed to the usual 20,000 to 30,000 target for new programs.

According to a source cited by Balitanghali, several lawmakers who suggested a second opinion wished to continue the vaccination program in their districts.

These lawmakers reached a compromise with the DOH to continue the program in their districts alone.

Ubial did not name these lawmakers but insisted that the DOH's policies under her leadership were made after extensive consultations with important stakeholders.

The former health secretary also announced that the dengue vaccination program will temporarily end after the initial three doses were completed to allow a national technical advisory group (NTAG) to observe Dengvaxia's effects on the inoculated schoolchildren for six months. —Rie Takumi/KG, GMA News