File photo: Department of Health (Eagle News Service)
(Eagle News) – The Department of Health (DOH) clarified that they have already distributed medicines and other supplies which have been reported in a 2019 Commission on Audit report as nearing its expiration date or have already expired.
In a statement, DOH said that the products with expiry dates were fluoride toothpastes in dental kits which have already been distributed.
It said that the 2019 COA report had been taken out of context when reported in the media recently.
“The Department of Health (DOH) responded to the issue that DOH has around P2.2 billion worth of expired drugs and medicines, and medical and dental supplies which have been taken out of context and circulated in news articles over the past two (2) days,” the DOH statement said.
“The DOH emphasized that the CY 2019 COA-Consolidated Annual Audit Report (CAAR) on which these articles were based was for CY 2019, which means this only covers the period of January to December 2019, adding that the current status of the DOH Central Office figures is now different,” it said.
Addressing the item on expired commodities which the COA report cited that the DOH Central Office has, it said that “these pertain to 840 dental kits remaining from 63,250 procured of which 62,410 (98.67%) have already been distributed.”
“Only the fluoride toothpaste which is just one component of the dental kits are with expiry dates. Other components of the remaining 840 kits, specifically kiddie toothbrushes, and germicidal soap per kit are usable and were distributed and utilized,” the DOH explained.
This is to explain what the COA had said that the DOH Central Office had P166,320 worth of expired commodities.
As to the COA report that said that “overstocked/slow-moving/ idle commodities” at the DOH in 2019 amounted to P 1.1 B, the DOH said that “as of September 2020, P815M was already distributed between January to August 2020.”
“There is still ongoing distribution for the remaining balance of P 322M whose expiry dates range from CY 2021 to CY 2023,” it explained.
As to the report that said that the DOH had P1 billion worth of commodities which are nearing expiration, the department said that as of end of September, “all products have already been completely distributed between the months of January-August 2020.”
-DOH working with COA early on, says Duque-
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that the DOH is closely working with COA “in deploying and dispatching commodities in a timely manner.”
“I thank the many hardworking men and women of DOH who have successfully found a way to address these issues, Despite the pandemic, the DOH has continued the distribution of medicines and supplies,” Duque said.
He said that the DOH “acknowledged the issues” which had been raised by the COA last year, and is recognizing COA’s vital role “in ensuring that government resources are properly allocated and utilized especially during this time of COVID-19.”
-De Lima slams DOH-
When the COA report came out, Senator Leila De Lima slammed the DOH the alleged P2.2 billion in expired, nearly expired, or overstocked drugs, medicines and other supplies in its inventory which has been reported by the Commission on Audit (COA).
De Lima said that this is “enraging” and “a cause for serious concern.”
“This level of mismanagement and inefficiency from the principal agency mandated to safeguard public health is completely unacceptable!” she said in a statement.
“It would have been bad enough if this happened without the specter of the worst public health emergency in living memory looming over us, but these negligent acts are further compounded with a crisis of this magnitude,” the senator noted.
De Lima also hit the DOH leadership for being “heartless”
“Nasasayang ang pera ng taumbayan dahil sa kapabayaan ninyo! Kung hindi kayo nanghihinayang sa mga gamot na ‘di nagagamit, manghinayang naman kayo sa buhay na maaari sana nitong nailigtas,” she said.
(Eagle News Service)
