Hontiveros to gov’t: Give out incentives like vouchers, tax credit, ‘libre load’ to boost immunization program

Senator Risa Hontiveros proposed Friday giving incentives in exchange for receiving vaccination and returning for subsequent vaccination shots to boost the government’s immunization program.

Hontiveros, vice-chairman of the Senate health committee, called on the Department of Health to study the possibility of incentivizing the vaccination programs to motivate more Filipinos to get their recommended vaccines.

She said the incentives such as food vouchers, medicine discounts and even tax credits could be given on top of the government's information drive.

Hontiveros said Australia, for example, provides financial incentives for parents to get kids vaccinated in the form of tax credits. Doctors, too, are incentivized when children get vaccinations on schedule, she said.

She said as a result, in January 2016, more than 210,000 families had taken action to ensure that they comply with Australia's immunization programs.

The senator said telecommunication companies could also help in providing incentives as part of their corporate social responsibility.

"Aside from text message reminders, maybe the telcos can provide incentives in the form of 'libreng load' for families whose children have completed their vaccinations. Libreng pasa load para sa bakuna,” she said.

She said while educating people about the benefits of vaccination is the government’s top priority, proposals for incentives are worth studying and exploring.

“As we double our efforts to increase our vaccination coverage, especially in urban poor localities and far-flung areas where children are prone to preventable diseases, we must also be creative in employing new strategies," Hontiveros said. — MDM, GMA News