DOH Secretary to Aquino and Garin: ‘Clarify several issues’ about the Dengvaxia procurement

Current Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH) Francisco Duque, when he was asked in media briefing regarding the controversial 3.5 billion peso procurement of the anti-dengue drug known as Dengvaxia, said that he believes that the former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and former Secretary of the DOH, Janet Garin to “come out” and clear the confusion about the controversial procurement.

The current secretary of health was asked in a media briefing if he believes that the former president and former health secretary should be held liable for the action. The above statement is his answer.

Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH) Francisco Duque / Photo credits to the owner

The procurement of Dengvaxia is a new issue that has blown up because the drug was administered to more than 830,000 Filipino children despite not having a go signal from several recognized agencies such as the World Health Organization. The said procurement effectively subjected many filipino children in harms way.

Sec. Duque specifically said: “It is up to them if they would like to clarify several issues on the matter, because they were the ones who made the very vital decision to procure the vaccines."

He further added that accused officials should come out "to prevent that from snowballing, it might be good na sabihin na lang ano ba talaga."

However Duque said that although he believed that anyone who have participated in this possible corrupt act should be accountable, he clarified that he believed that the former administration pursued the procurement in good faith.

"I'm sure they actually meant well, I have no doubt they did mean well… The president and the department head were guided based on the feedback from the documentary evidence that the WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines were in fact followed," he said.

“We'll have to await as the investigation progresses," he added.

The Coalition for People's Right to Health co-convenor Dr. Eleanor A. Jara pointed out the Aquino government's "overzealousness" in closing the deal with Sanofi.

"We cannot blame the people if they raise suspicions on the possibility of some national officials profiteering from the transaction," she said in a statement.

The group called on government officials and Sanofi to be held accountable for the program's shortcomings.

"Complete accountability must be pursued on Sanofi and all current and former government officials  who connived in the planning and implementation of this program," it said in a statement.

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Source: CNN Philippines