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| Sec. Garin and Ona / Photo file (ctto) |
According to Dr. Ona, the health secretary after his term is
the “solely responsible” for the Philippine’s current nightmare.
Dr. Ona was DOH Secretary from June 2010 to December 2014,
followed by Garin when Aquino administration took over.
“In the light of the
Sanofi Pasteur advisory on the use of the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia, the
leadership that took over the DOH after I left on December 20, 2014 is solely
responsible for all the decisions that have resulted in what is becoming to be
a major health nightmare in the country today,” Dr. Ona said in a statement.
Ona explained that there were talks about the vaccine during
his term, but;
“During this period, the Sanofi Pasteur Pharma group would request
a briefing for me on the status of the clinical trial of their anti-dengue
vaccine being tested (phase 3 trial) in Southeast Asia, including the
Philippines, as well as several countries in South America. This occurred
almost annually during my term as Secretary,” he said.
He also shared that he was then hopeful hearing that vaccine
for dengue has been finally developed.
“This was of great interest to me since dengue fever is not
only rampant in the Philippines, almost appearing all year round and was also
being used as one of the ‘measures of our public health performance’ by the
public. I had high hopes, like many others that the vaccine being developed
would eventually control this mosquito-borne disease that afflicts more than a
hundred thousand Filipinos (patients) annually and scares so many foreign
visitors and tourists,” the former health chief said.
He added that, during his term until he left the office, Sanofi
never claimed that the vaccine was ready for general use of the public. The pharmaceutical
company only gave him vague projection as to when it may be ready for launching.
“Unfortunately, during all this time until the end of my
term, the Sanofi staff, though optimistic, never claimed that the vaccine was
ready for general use and only gave vague projection to me of the time when it
may be ready for launching. I recall in more than one occasion that I mentioned
in passing to then President Aquino of a possible dengue vaccine that may be
ready ‘anytime soon.’ However, we did not allocate any budget for dengue
vaccine for 2016 since I considered this vaccine as still at its ‘developmental
stage’ and was undergoing further observation and evaluation,” Ona said.
Ona clarified that he was no longer the secretary when the
department administered the dengue vaccine.
“I was out of the government in 2016 when I first heard that
the DOH was going to purchase this new Sanofi Pasteur dengue vaccine, now with
a brand name Dengvaxia, to be given to children above nine years and allocating
‘several billion’ pesos, an amount more than the entire budget for all other
vaccines being procured by the DOH annually!” he said.
On November 30, Sanofi revealed that Dengvaxia was found to possibly
cause more severe cases of dengue.
Source: Manila Bulletin
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