KINASTIGO ni Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto ang Department of Health sa pag-aaksaya ng gamot.

Sa kanyang pahayag, iginiit ni Recto na may 48 billion reasons kung bakit dapat bakunahan ang DOH laban sa pagsasayang ng gamot.

Ito ay makaraang lumitaw sa 2019 Commission on Audit (COA) report na mahigit P2.2 bilyon halaga ng expired at ma-e-expire nang gamot ang nakatambak sa mga stockroom ng DOH.

“The expired drugs include those for oral health. With 9 in 10 Filipinos suffering from tooth decay and only 1 in 10 able to afford to see a dentist once a year, this news is as painful as a root canal,” diin ni Recto.

Dahil dito, iginiit ng senador na magkaroon ng espesyal na probisyon sa DOH budget para sa 2021 na maglalatag ng guideline o patnubay kung saan ang mga nabiling gamot ay dapat mapunta sa mga pasyente.

“If the lack of supply chain specialists is the culprit for rotting medications, then they should be recruited using the 14,553 vacancies in the DOH,” diin ni Recto.

“The DOH is also asking for P486 million for “Procurement and Supply Chain Management Service” for 2021. We should demand a bill of particulars for this,” saad pa nito.

Dahil sa hinalang may nakapupuslit na gamot sa mga bodega, inirekomenda ng COA na magkabit ng CCTV camera sa mga warehouse at stockroom ng DOH.

“This kind of “drug trafficking” must be stopped. Overall, we need a “fast-acting relief” from what has become a procurement sickness of this department so that drugs bought this year and next year will not be wasted,” sabi ni Recto.

“We have almost 48 billion reasons to be worried—the P28.64 billion proposed DOH budget for drug procurement for 2021, and the P19.09 billion approved pre-pandemic budget for this year,” dagdag pa ng senador.

“Kailangan ng bakuna laban sa pagsasayang ng gamot,” pagtatapos ni Recto. (DANG SAMSON-GARCIA)