Relief Status of Persons Injured by COVID-19 Vaccination under the Immunization Health Damage Relief Program
- VernacularTitle:予防接種健康被害救済制度における新型コロナワクチン接種者の救済状況
- Author:
Kenichi CHONAN
1
;
Kyonosuke YAMAMOTO
1
;
Takenari TAMURA
1
;
Maoto SATO
1
;
Mikie YAMATO
1
;
Hirohisa DOI
1
Author Information
- Keywords: immunization health damage relief program; new corona vaccine; deliberation results; certification; relief
- From:Japanese Journal of Drug Informatics 2025;26(4):208-216
- CountryJapan
- Language:ja
- Abstract: Objective: The Immunization Health Damage Relief Program was established to provide "prompt and wide-ranging" relief for health damage caused by routine vaccination.Methods: In this study, utilizing the report of the Subcommittee on Infectious Diseases and Immunization, we investigated the relief status of persons who received the new coronavirus vaccine. The study period was three years, from 2021 to 2023, and the number of cases accepted, the number of certifications, the number of denials, and the number of delays were analyzed.Results: Most of the claims were for medical expenses and medical benefits, and the remaining claims were for lump-sum death benefits and funeral expenses. The approval rate was 84.9%, and the denial rate was 14.1%. The scrutiny rate was less than 30% since July 2022, but with the establishment of a new study group on January 2023, the rate rose to approximately 70%. Initially, none of the lump-sum death payments were approved, but later the approval rate increased, and there was a period when almost all the lump-sum death payments were approved.Conclusions: The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) is responding as quickly as possible to the increasing number of applications, but the number of health relief applications is unprecedented in the history of vaccines. For the victims and their families, the situation does not appear to be satisfactory.
