(UPDATE) THE Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday that parents who fail to have their children vaccinated will not be penalized.
The clarification follows a House of Representatives panel hearing where Health Undersecretary Emmie Liza Perez-Chiong floated the idea of imposing "minor penalties" on parents who consciously neglect to immunize their children against vaccine-preventable diseases.
However, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the agency has no such policy.
"We need to educate parents on the benefits of vaccines. So I repeat, we will not impose a penalty," Herbosa said in a statement.
Citing Republic Act 10152, or the Mandatory Infants and Children Health Immunization Act of 2011, Herbosa said parents must be informed and educated about how vaccines prevent complications from long-term diseases.
"As a doctor, we know that there are children who have contraindications to receiving vaccines. In some cases, the vaccine cannot be given to them," Herbosa added.
He noted that the agency’s mandate is to convince parents to vaccinate their children to protect them from preventable illnesses.
"We believe in human rights and the beliefs of our parents, whether they want or do not want [their children] to be vaccinated," Herbosa said.
DOH spokesman Albert Domingo said that instead of imposing penalties, it would be better to improve the information drive on vaccination.
