The D Spot

update as of 12 August 2009

Makati Medical Center, Medical City, St. Luke’s Hospital, and University of Sto. Tomas Hospital assured the DOH yesterday that they had no problem in implementing the EO 821 as per the governments mandate.

For info:

Malacañang’s EO 821 sets a maximum retail price on the anti-hypertensive drug amlodipine, the anti-cholesterol drug atorvastatin, the antibiotic/antibacterial drug azithromycin, and the anti-neoplastics/anti-cancer drugs cytarabine and doxorubicin.

The DoH had originally drawn up a list of 21 essential drugs which it found to be sold at exorbitant prices. But in a bid to preempt the government price control law, drug companies agreed to voluntarily lower the prices of 16 of these drugs by at least 50 per cent and offered to reduce the prices of 22 other medicines by 10-50 per cent.

The members of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines are up in arms over the implementation of the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicine Act (Republic Act No. 9502) and Executive Order 821. They have threatened of the possibility of going on a  Hospital Holiday on Friday 14 August 2009 if the government insists on implementing the EO effective 15 August. They want to postpone its implementation as they have only 1 week to dispose of their current stocks that they bought at a higher cost. This, despite the fact that pharmaceutical companies have committed to give rebates on the medicines that would remain on stock after the cutoff date. They won’t be accepting new patients during the hospital holiday, except emergency cases.

The PHAP foresees the risk of forced closure or bankruptcy should the EO be implemented on its scheduled date. It could also result to private hospitals downgrading their operations, retrenching hospital employees, and reducing services, at worse eventually closing up.

Giving you a little bit of history, the Cheaper Medicines Act was signed by PGMA in June 2008 mandating a maximum retail selling price (10 to 50% cut in price) for 22 pharmaceutical products recommended by the Department of Health. It took the government one year before finally implementing it—thanks to the proponents of the bill in Congress, and no thanks to the lobbying of giant pharmaceutical companies in their bid to delay if not totally dump the Act. And of course, need we recall the 2009 SONA in which the president promised to implement the Act (after 1 year ha?).

Back to the PHAP—they have the gall to call for a hospital holiday. Of course, their revenues will be affected, but are we talking here only of revenues? millions and millions of revenues? What has happened to their main responsibility of healing patients. How many percent do they levy on medicines. 30%? 40%? The last time I was hospitalized, I was so shocked with the cost of medicines. More so, with the fact that my intravenous meds were changed 3x in a span of 24 hours, with each med costing not less than P8th each time. What’s worse, hospital staff won’t dispense the medicines if the stocks do not come from their pharmacy. I remember having bought a full dose of the medicines prescribed the day before in the same hospital’s emergency room. I was told that I have to take the medicines myself on the times scheduled, instead of them coming to dispense the medicines. It was only when I insisted that they gave me the medicines on schedule instead of me taking them on my own did they relent. But again, I had to remind the hospital staff in the next shift and the next shift after that  about the arrangement.

The price we citizens have to pay when we get sick, that is why I tend to agree with the slogan “Bawal Magkasakit”. But can we help it? Well, the most we can do is to maintain a healthy lifestyle, eat healthy, exercise and have a positive outlook in life.

And really, it is high time that the Filipino is relieved from the high prices of medicines. Rich or poor alike, we all need to address our individual health issues, the brand of medicine we take is a choice. If we take a look at the prices of medicines in other countries (at least in the sub-continent like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh where I had first hand experience—the cost of a colds med is the equivalent of only about our 10 to 20 centavos compared to our more than P5) we could say that ours is on the very very expensive side. Not to mention the exuberant price of anti-hypertensive medicines from a giant pharmaceutical firm that could give 50% discount for their sulit card holders. Why would they give discounts only to their 5 million prospects, why not to the 40 million Filipinos or more?

And if the PHAP’s plan to declare a hospital holiday on Friday goes through—I date say, in my honest opinion, that’s a LOT OF BS! Once and for all,

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