HEALTH Secretary Francisco Duque III was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments Wednesday even as his department grappled with a controversial dengue vaccination program approved by the previous administration.
CA health committee chairman Senator Gregorio Honasan said they were confident with Duque’s integrity and his sense of purpose, saying he was not only passionate about public health but also effective as a communicator who manages to get the message across to the Filipino people.
Duque’s nomination for confirmation was seconded by Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, and Senators JV Ejercito, Manny Pacquiao, and Miguel Zubiri.
In his speech, Recto said Duque is “first and foremost a physician,” but when country calls, he does not shirk from being conscripted to do hard labor in government, as had happened to him seven times in the past.
“And as you have read in his impressive CV, not one of his government postings in the past 20 years was cushy. All had national mandates which require a combination of competence and compassion which only those with a head and a heart, like him, can do,” said Recto.
Duque first served as Health secretary during the time of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He was also PhilHealth president, GSIS chairman and Civil Service Commission head before President Rodrigo appointed in October after the CA rejected the nomination of former secretary Paulyn Ubial.
Recto said through all these assignments, Duque’s integrity remained “lily-white as the doctor’s coat he wore in the charity wards of the UST hospital, in the operating rooms of Pangasinan medical centers, [and] in the laboratories of Georgetown University.”
”This is the hands-on manager we need at DoH today, one who can solve today’s ills while preventing future problems, one who treats the causes and not the symptoms, one who is both curative and preventive in outlook,” Recto said of Duque.
Ejercito, chairman of the Senate health committee, said he is confident that Duque can “withstand all controversies that the DoH might stumble into.”
Zubiri said Duque is “the man we need to lead the main government agency in charge of providing quality, accessible public health services.”
Grilled over the P3-billion dengue mass immunization program, Duque said his confirmation was vital in the effective discharge of his duties.
Asked by Senator Risa Hontiveros how he would rebuild public trust after the controversy over the use of the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia, Duque admitted that immunization coverage has dropped due to fears about the government’s vaccination programs.
“It’s a tall order. It’s a struggle, I would be the first to admit—to rebuild the morale of our ailing organization. But as doctors, we are prepared to deal with it,” said Duque.
“It’s vital that the trust and confidence of the Filipino public are regained and I think the prescription again is to make everybody realize in the DoH the importance of well-defined governance program,” he said.
Duque said that he has not missed a flag-raising ceremony so that he could constantly remind his employees that the Dengvaxia controversy is not only a challenge for the DoH, but also a “great opportunity to reflect on what has happened and what had been lost along the way.”
He said when the department’s budget was a “measly” P10 billion to P11 billion, immunization coverage was better and public trust in the department was high.
“I think we need to recapture the glorious days—if you don’t mind—of the DoH then. And we hope that we will be able to motivate and inspire our people to,” he said.
Duque suspended the government’s dengue immunization program on Dec. 1, 2017 after Sanofi Pasteur said the vaccine may increase the risk of hospitalization for dengue and severe dengue in those with no prior infection.
More than 830,000 children aged nine and above from public schools in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Cebu were vaccinated with the anti-dengue vaccine.
Interviewed after his confirmation, Duque conceded the DoH is fighting too many battles on too many fronts.
“We just want to get over, hopefully, the many hearings, well-meaning hearings, and hopefully ferret out the truth in so far as the Dengvaxia issue is concerned,” he asserted.
The other issues raised during his confirmation hearing were the reported outbreak of diseases in Mindanao despite the agency’s vaccination drives, the alleged overstocking of medicines in some areas in the country, and issues on the Reproductive Health Law and teenage pregnancy.
Senator Panfilo Lacson asked Duque about the measles outbreak in Davao City amid the Health department’s 2017 budget for purchase of drugs, medicines, and vaccines were worth P17 billion in 2017. He pointed out that measles is “easily preventable” and yet it affected 40 barangays last month.
Duque said there are at least three reasons that would cause a measles outbreak; one is cultural wherein tribes do not want their children to be immunized; two, because of the fear arising from the Dengvaxia controversy; and third, the outright decision of parents with no well-defined justifications.
On the “overstocking” of medicines of which “roughly, 10 percent goes to wastage, Duque said he got this report when he assumed office and said he would put a stop to it.
“This is not allowable under my watch. We will not allow this, your honor so we will make sure that the proper systems are in place, logistics and supply chain reforms must be in place as soon as possible,” he said.
Duque said the procurement of medicines and vaccines are based on the needs assessment conducted by the DoH.
Also on Wednesday, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the Palace has called a meeting today (Thursday) to tackle issues surrounding the Dengvaxia mess, including the autopsies being conducted by the Public Attorney’s Office that have been questioned by a group of doctors.
PAO on Wednesday was set to exhume and perform an autopsy on the body of a 10-year-old boy in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, who died after receiving Dengvaxia.
Aguirre said President Rodrigo Duterte will meet with him, PAO chief Persida Acosta, Executive Secrtary Medialdea and newly appointed head of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission Dante Jimenez.
Also on Wednesday, two senators raised the alarm over the loss of public confidence in the government’s immunization programs due to the Dengvaxia mess.
“I urge the public to remain calm. I also urge all parties to be more responsible in issuing statements that would tend to confuse the public and add fuel to the fire,” said Senator JV Ejercito as the Senate Blue Ribbon committee continued its probe on the controversial vaccine program.
“Parents are becoming more fearful in giving their consent for their children to be vaccinated even when they are proven safe,” said Ejercito.
Senator Nancy Binay supported the call of Ejercito appealed to parents to have their children vaccinated for preventable illnesses like polio, pertussis, measles, tetanus, diphtheria and hepatitis-B.
She expressed her concern after the DoH reported that immunization rates are significantly down from previous years since the government suspended the sale and distribution of the Dengvaxia vaccine in December.