SINGAPORE: The nurse who lost her job after a severe reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine has yet to apply for the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Program (VIFAP), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said Wednesday (Jan. 25).
In response to TUSEN’s questions, the ministry said it “has approached her to see if she would like to apply.”
The scheme provides “one-time, goodwill financial support” to individuals who have experienced serious adverse events that have been determined by a doctor to be related to COVID-19 vaccines administered under the National Vaccine Program in Singapore.
This includes the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine, the Moderna/Spikevax vaccine, and the Novavax/Nuvaxovid vaccine. Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccinations are also eligible if received from Oct 23, 2021.
Singaporeans, permanent residents or long-term pass holders who have been recommended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine are eligible for the payout.
NEARLY S$1.9 MILLION IN VIFAP PAYOUTS
In its statement, MOH added that as of December 31, 2022, 413 applications have received disbursements under the VIFAP, with a total of S$1,895,000 paid or offered to applicants.
Of these, the ministry said three applicants have been awarded a S$225,000 payout under Tier 1, which is extended to individuals who have died or become permanently disabled.
“All VIFAP applications will be reviewed by an independent clinical panel,” added MOH. “To be eligible for VIFAP, the clinical panel must have determined that there has been a serious adverse reaction associated with the COVID-19 vaccine received.”
Those requiring high dependency or intensive care admission with subsequent recovery will receive S$10,000 under Tier 2, while those requiring inpatient hospitalization with subsequent recovery will receive S$2,000 under Tier 3.
Earlier this month, a Supreme Court ruling stated that the woman suffered a serious adverse reaction to her second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in March 2021, after which she was hospitalized for 151 days.
She was diagnosed with involuntary movement disorder, which left her in a wheelchair and unable to resume her job as a nurse at Singapore General Hospital.
.
