MANILA — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Tuesday he will wait for the advice of President Rodrigo R. Duterte regarding the case filed against him before the Department of Justice (DOJ) over the death of a teenage girl allegedly vaccinated with Dengvaxia.
“Ibig kong kunin din ang abiso ng Pangulong Duterte kung ano ba dapat ang tingin o dapat gawin ng DOH bilang alter ego ng president sa health (I want to get the advice of President Duterte on what the Department of Health would do as the President’s alter ego in health),” Duque said on the sidelines of the launch of the Supplemental Immunization Activity in Parañaque City.
At the moment, he said the DOH executive committee is discussing their next action on the case filed before at the DOJ by the parents of 13-year-old
Abbie Hedia, who died of septic shock, viral encephalitis, acute gastroenteritis and severe dehydration. She reportedly received her first dose of Dengvaxia on Nov. 17, 2017 and died last February.
The health chief reiterated that the case is baseless and that he has no idea why he was implicated in the teenager’s death.
Duque said the DOH and the Food and Drug Administration even suspended the Certificate of Product Registration issued for the controversial Dengvaxia.
“It was also under my leadership wherein the refund of the PHP1.161 billion worth of unused Dengvaxia vaccine had taken place. As of now the said fund is under the Bureau of Treasury,” he added.