AFTER being flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA), the supposed expired medicines somehow found their way to the countryside, for which the 20th Congress should seriously look into.
For one, allowing government procured medicines to expire in its cold storage facilities is unacceptable. But distributing them is more despicable as the act in itself compromises public safety.
It’s criminal liability under the existing laws. Flagged in 2024, COA particularly hinted at the P11-billion worth of drugs, medicine, and supplies that was bought by the DOH using the taxpayers’ money.
According to sources, these expired medicines were “recycled” by a group who claims to have the backing of Health Secretary Ted Herbosa — and presented as newly-procured ones for distribution to the barrios.
Local government units (LGUs) and health facilities which previously refused to accept these medicines were made to believe that what they got were new and potent ones.
As if these were not more than enough, 24,539 bags of donated dialysis solution expired in warehouses and health facilities because these were received about one and a half years before expiry, and the target recipients declined to accept them, also due to lack of storage space, or they believed these can no longer be used.
Worse, COA inventories nearing expiration or those with less than one-year shelf life amounting to a total of P65,444,524.35 were also found in 2024 as unutilized and undistributed in DOH offices and health facilities. In view of the COA findings, Herbosa was told to ensure proper planning, reasonable allocation, duties, and accountabilities of DOH offices are established for procurement.
For one, wasting even a single peso of public money isn’t acceptable but finding ways to make use of something that is no longer safe to consume should never be an option to prevent wastage.
In a country where hungry Filipinos end up in jail over a loaf of bread, the group who claims strong connections with Sec. Herbosa should be slapped with the fullest extent of the law. The Health Secretary should also be made accountable for something that was committed under his very nose. But if he has a little decency left under his sleeves, he should consider stepping down.
