P20 B for COVID-19 vaccine purchase sought
Congress should allocate at least P20 billion, not the measly P2.5 billion under the 2021 budget proposal, to procure COVID-19 vaccine next year if the government is serious in protecting an initial 20 million poor Filipinos from the dreaded disease.
Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor said the P2.5-billion allocation reflected in the proposed 2021 General Appropriations Act “is just a small fraction of what government needs to vaccinate the initial target of 20 million poor Filipinos.”
“That means an average of P1,000 per Filipino to be inoculated. Health professionals are saying one would need two to three doses to fight the infectious new coronavirus. If that is so, P1,000 would translate to P500 per dose, if two doses are needed, and P333, if three doses are required,” said Defensor, chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts.
He said multinational drug companies and the richest nations developing the new vaccine are not expected to distribute their precious invention cheap.
“We will be lucky if we could get it at less than P500 per dose,” Defensor stated.
He pointed out that the initial target is only roughly one-fifth or 20 percent of the country’s entire population.
Defensor said assuming the vaccine would cost P500 per dose and one would require two doses, the P2.5 billion in next year’s budget would be good only for 2.5 million Filipinos.
“And President Duterte is aiming to inoculate all 113 million Filipinos. Clearly, there is a need for us to provide sufficient funds. There is still time to do it because the proposed budget is still with us in Congress,” he said.
Defensor noted that the Department of Health has estimated its funding requirement for 20 million poor Filipinos at P12.9 billion, or P645 per vaccine.
“Their estimate means that a dose would cost only P322.50, if two doses are needed. I hope they are right. But there’s no harm in allocating an amount that would exceed the actual cost of the vaccine. The excess would be used in procuring more vaccines, which means more Filipinos would be vaccinated.”