VietNamNet Bridge – People receiving vaccines through the free national immunisation programme will be compensated if the immunisation fails or causes serious side effects.

Illustrative image -- File photo

This is the first time this sort of compensation will be given in the Decree on Immunisation. The Ministry of Health (MOH) is researching and compiling a new version of the decree.

Associate Professor Tran Dac Phu, director of the Preventive Medicine Department under MOH, said that people receiving the compensation included those who needed to be treated for serious side effects after being injected with the vaccine and those who died after injection.

Depending on the level of injury, the person could receive between VND1.05 million and 31.5 million (US$48 and $1,400) under the decree, which should be approved by the start of next year.

If they died, their families would receive VND10.5 million ($500) for funeral expenses.

The two vaccines that usually cause side effects are Quinvaxem, a vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type B infections; and another vaccine against hepatitis B.

But MOH confirmed that the rate of accidents in Viet Nam was lower than recommended levels.

Director Phu said all fatalities after vaccination had been studied by professional councils, which had always found that the fatalities were not related to the vaccinations.

VNS