HEALTH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Monday clarified that local government units (LGUs) are not required to set aside a budget for an indemnification fund for their constituents who may suffer from severe side effects of Covid-19 vaccines.
Responding to a BusinessMirror question in an online media forum, Vergeire said that there is no need for a separate indemnification fund besides that of the national government for that purpose.
“No more [LGUs not required to have indemnification fund] …whatever the indemnification agreements that will be agreed on and will be made official by the national government, would already cover the local government units,” Vergeire said.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said that the tripartite agreement with AstraZeneca has an indemnity clause already.
“And this is fair,” Belmonte said.
Earlier, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III urged lawmakers to fast-track the creation of an indemnification fund law. He said they have already submitted the proposed bill to both houses of Congress.
Marikina and Pasay
Duque, however, commended LGUs who allotted a budget for the indemnification fund even though they are not required to do so.
The cities of Marikina and Pasay have prepared for an indemnification fund respectively, in case of any adverse reaction to the vaccine.
Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro said the city government has prepared an indemnification fund of about P5 million for affected individuals.
For her part, Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano has allotted an indemnification fund of P30,000 for every resident who might incur sickness arising from the immunization drive. Still, she said that she is confident on the efficacy of the vaccines against Covid-19.
Calixto clarified that the city government has long been helping and indemnifying their residents, who might suffer unwanted injuries arising from the local government’s various health and immunization campaigns.
She added that they even improved the financial assistance relative to the Covid-19 vaccine campaign by raising the amount from P25,000 to P30,000.
Makati
The Makati City government, meanwhile, said Makati residents who may experience adverse effects after the vaccination would be hospitalized for free.
Likewise, Mayor Abigail Binay announced that they have procured 42 biomedical refrigerators and laboratory freezers to ensure proper and safe storage of Covid-19 vaccines.
The mayor urged Makatizens to take full advantage of the city’s free vaccination because it is scientifically proven to be effective against Covid-19.