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[av_heading heading=’Ubial: Richard Garin pressured me to buy more dengue vaccines ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY ADRIAN STEWART CO and PRINCE GOLEZ
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MANILA – Former Health secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial said she felt pressured to continue the Department of Health’s (DOH) now controversial dengue vaccination program of her predecessor Janette Garin and one of those who pressured her was Garin’s congressman husband, Richard.
During yesterday’s inquiry of the Senate’s Blue Ribbon and Health and Demography committees on the vaccination program, Ubial said she believed her reticence in pushing through with the program may have been one of the factors why she was rejected by the Commission on Appointments.
Garin urged her to buy more Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccines, said Ubial, recalling one of the budget hearings of DOH in Congress.
Ubial had been assigned to DOH Region 6 years ago. She was an undersecretary at the department when the congressman’s wife was appointed the secretary.
“In the last budget hearing, and this was documented in the minutes, one of the (members of the House of) Representatives that asked me to buy more dengue vaccines and put it in the 2018 budget was no other than Oscar Richard Garin Jr.,” Ubial said.
Citing safety concerns, Ubial admitted being opposed to the dengue mass vaccination program of DOH during the term of the congressman’s wife.
“I am positive that my confirmation was prejudiced by this issue that I strongly and openly opposed at the start, and when I was Health secretary I tried to do damage control,” said Ubial.
Sanofi Pasteur, manufacturer of Dengvaxia, admitted recently that the vaccine could lead to “more cases of severe disease” if given to those who have not had dengue before.
Ubial was appointed DOH chief by President Rodrigo Duterte replacing Janette Garin after the May 2016 elections. The Commission on Appointments rejected her ad interim appointment.
Cong. Garin confirmed to Panay News having attended congressional budget hearings but denied pressuring Ubial.
“No I did not ask her to purchase (more Dengvaxia vaccines),”the congressman stressed.
He, however, recalled telling Ubial “dapat ina-anticipate ang needs, meaning you (must) have enough vaccines to complete the three doses (needed).”
But Garin said what he and other members of Congress told Ubial was only recommendatory.
“Sayang ang gastos sang gobyerno kung hindi mo ikumpleto (vaccination),” said Garin.
For her part, former Health secretary Janette Garin said her husband could not have influenced the Commission on Appoints into rejecting Ubial’s appointment because he was not even a member of the commission.
“Sino po ba kami para impluwensyahan ang Commission on Appointments,” she said.
According to Ubial, during budget hearings, “there was a lot of pressure from Congress to expand (the dengue vaccination program) to other parts of the country…particularly Region 7.”
Region 7 is Central Visayas. She mentioned the name of Cebu congresswoman Gwendolyn Garcia.
Right after she was appointed Health secretary, said Ubial, “I immediately released a memorandum to halt the administration of the vaccine in Region 3 and NCR (National Capital Region).”
“I wanted to stick with the decision of the first expert panel to give second doses only to those who received the first dose (during Secretary Garin’s time), after which, we will stop all immunization, look at the pilot cases, look at the data and decide on how to move the program forward,” she said.
Ubial, however, said she was forced to change her mind after lawmakers pushed for the program’s expansion during budget deliberations in 2016.
“I was pushed. ‘Why can’t you have a second opinion,’” Ubial said she was asked.
Indeed, she said, she convened a second panel of experts to review the proposed dengue vaccination program.
The recommendation of the second expert panel was to expand to other areas with high dengue burden, said Ubial.
DOH now under Secretary Francisco Duque III has suspended the dengue immunization program.
Former Health secretary Janette Garin also denied yesterday she had negotiated with Sanofi for the reduction of Dengvaxia’s price.
“I strongly deny (negotiating with Sanofi). I did not negotiate for the price, but Sanofi came to the Philippines and presented their proposal to the government,” Garin said.
She added: “I said just update me and I joked na sana po buy one take one ‘yan…But I never negotiated for the price because we didn’t have money (at that time).”
Garin countered the timeline of events submitted by Ubial to the Senate panels stating that the former Health chief “negotiated with Sanofi to reduce the cost of the vaccines on June 9, 2015.”
According to Ubial, the negotiations happened after Garin went to Paris, France on May 14, 2015 and met with Sanofi officials./PN
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