Healthcare expert says out-of-pocket costs discourage vaccinations

A healthcare expert said that while respiratory infections in the country have become more manageable through vaccinations, patients often hesitate to get them due to out-of-pocket costs.

In a media conference on Tuesday, infectious diseases expert Dr. Rontgene Solante said healthcare workers have seen an increasing trend in vaccination sometime in the middle of the COVID pandemic due to increased trust and confidence in vaccinations.

However, he noted that costs of vaccinations not covered by the Department of Health (DOH) are the new barriers that discouraged vaccinations.

“That's why you remember our vaccination rate has gone up to like 65-75%... We have addressed the vaccine hesitancy based on what we have learned with Dengvaxia, the scare because people are now aware that with vaccination we are able to control COVID-19. Without vaccination during COVID, we may have more mortalities as we have experienced compared to other Asian countries,” he added.

Solante shared that the Department of Health (DOH) offered free flu vaccinations for Senior Citizens under the mandate of the Senior Citizens Act.

This, however, does not cover the non-vulnerable population that had to pay to be vaccinated.

“That's why it's very challenging for us, like me as a doctor. When we talk to patients about vaccine, their concern is not about the vaccine. Their concern is, I will save first before I will have myself get vaccinated,” he said.

A shot of the flu vaccine is priced at P1,450 per shot, according to a well-known diagnostic laboratory chain.

Another pharmaceutical chain priced it at P900 per shot.

The vaccine is required once annually.

“The general population [getting vaccinations] is still very low… because it's an out-of-pocket, there's no program from the Department of Health, and that's quite very, very challenging for us clinicians when we recommend,” he added.

The DOH clarified that due to budget constraints, they have placed priority on vaccinating the vulnerable.

“If we are provided all the resources required, it can be done. However, consider the very tight fiscal space now especially with the State of an Energy Emergency. Health cannot be seen as a single disease prevention advocacy alone. We must prioritise, and the vulnerable always comes first,” shared DOH Undersecretary Albert Domingo.

“Let's not forget that we must also reduce/control TB, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, etc. - we make do with what we have by prioritising the vulnerable,” he added.

Window period for vaccination

Respiratory diseases such as influenza make up half of the top 10 causes of morbidity in the Philippines from 2020 to 2024.

Despite this, he noted that the trend of infections often see a slowdown in the months of April to June.

“There are months that this seasonal influenza-like illness are low… These are the three months that we need. These are the three months window of opportunity that we need to give the vaccine,” he shared.

He noted that protection offered by the vaccine was not only limited to the influenza, but also other risks posed by respiratory infection.

This included increased risk for stroke, heart attacks, and liver and kidney failure, among others.

“If you will be vaccinated, even if you're at risk of influenza because you get the influenza, but your risk of these complications will now be lower. So, what will that be?  The impact will be less morbidity and less mortality… That's why you always have yourself vaccinated,” he said.

Unvaccinated workers bring lower workplace productivity

More unvaccinated workers bring a bigger risk of infection to the workplace, which can cause more absences and bring down overall workplace productivity.

According to PhilCare Human Resources Vice President Jerome Landrito, companies that invest in the health of their employees turn out to become more resilient.

“One of the major concerns of HR is always continuity… No work gets done if the employee is not available. When we try to look at the landscape of sick leaves from a corporate perspective especially in field care, a lot of these are actually preventable,” he shared.

He noted that there still might be some form of hesitancy in employees that can be causing them to not get vaccines, but that the trend had been changing lately with more beneficiaries availing free vaccination offers.

PhilCare said that they are working to increase educational and awareness efforts to combat negative connotations on vaccines.

“The performers, if they're key people, you rely on day in and day out and they're the ones who are affected by this, the productivity really dips. And there are some deliverables that are not implemented or not carried out. Those are some of the effects,” he said. — BAP, GMA News