THE House of Representatives is inclined to approve the creation of a National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) to provide evidence-based information to the national government related to vaccine immunization, the chairman of the House Committee on Health said.
Committee on Health Chairman Rep. Angelina Tan said NITAG will ensure the strict implementation of the National Immunization Program amid challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to Tan, the government should ensure that it is implementing the immunization program even during the community quarantine as a way to ensure that children are protected from future pandemics.
“We have several initiatives in Congress in relation to the country’s immunization program. We are pushing for the creation of the NITAG, a national immunization advisory board, and we are trying to adopt a school-based immunization program that will benefit our students,” she said.
Open bidding
Tan also reaffirmed her call for an open and competitive bidding process in the procurement of vaccines.
An important element in the immunization program, she said, is to ensure that the procurement of vaccines is done in such a way that no single manufacturer is favored. The specifications in bidding should not favor a single brand, Tan stressed.
Last year, the Department of Health (DOH) suspended a call for bidding for pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) after medical experts noted that the bidding favored a single manufacturer.
During a recent forum, Health Undersecretary Dr. Ma. Rosario Vergeire explained that the DOH suspended the bidding for PCVs after new evidence showed that they need to look more carefully into the procurement process was presented.
“’Nung lumabas ang bagong ebidensiya na sinubmit sa atin, ang desisyon namin ay ipasok muna sa Health Technology Assessment Center [HTAC]. HTAC is reviewing the procurement, which is really the right process. Ngayon po hindi pa lumalabas ang recommendation ng HTAC,” Vergeire revealed.
“Hindi natin tinigil ang programa, hinihintay lang namin ang recommendation ng HTAC at itutuloy natin ang programa,” she added.
The DOH had previously requested the HTAC to review the National Immunization Program (NIP), particularly the Pneumococcal Vaccination Program for children, in light of new 2017 and 2019 evidence from the World Health Organization (WHO).
In February 2019, WHO reaffirmed its earlier position that the two available PCVs in the market—PCV10 and PCV13—are equally effective in preventing overall pneumococcal diseases among children.
The position paper also states that there is at present insufficient evidence of a difference in the net impact of the two available PCVs on overall disease burden.
In the same forum, epidemiologist Dr. Troy Gepte supported the DOH’s move to have the PCV procurement assessed, stressing that the HTAC review is indeed mandated by law.
Moreover, Tan said if the health assessment proves that both PCV10 and PCV13 have the same effects, “then we need to go through a procurement process that’s open and competitive so the government can save on costs.”
NIP
Meanwhile, Rep. Adriano A. Ebcas of the Ako Padayon Pilipino Party-list, said he and three other party-list representatives filed House Resolution 906, urging DOH to ensure the continued safe implementation of the mandated National Immunization Program for children.
The resolution aims to encourage and support the DOH in its endeavor to contain the current outbreak and prevent future community outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The resolution also aims to secure and ensure a stable supply of available vaccines through the continued conduct of open, fair, and competitive bidding, thereby preventing any “outbreak within an outbreak.”