A bill putting a price cap for medically-necessary assistive equipment and medical supplies, such as wheelchairs and surgical masks, has been filed at the House of Representatives.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda filed House Bill 6219, which allows the Secretary of Health to cap prices for necessary medical supplies especially in view of the recent public health need for surgical and N95 masks.
The bill also grants the Secretary of Health the power to negotiate prices of all medicines, medically-necessary assistive equipment, and medical supplies purchased by the government, which would compel companies to price these products at lower prices if they want to sell medicine in the Philippines.
Salceda said the bill would build on the gains of the Cheaper Medicines Law and ensure the sustainable implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) law.
“Kung mahal kasi ang gamot, tapos hindi naman natin gagamitin ang bargaining power ng gobyerno, lolobo ang kailangan nating pondo para sa UHC (If the medicine is expensive, and we don’t use the government’s bargaining power, our funds for UHC would just balloon). As Ways and Means chair, it is my responsibility to ensure that priority programs are funded. That includes, whenever possible, lowering the price of government programs for the same quality of service,” Salceda said.
“Yung MDRP (Maximum Drug Retail Price) kasi, while it sets essentially a price ceiling on the price of medicines, kung mataas naman yung MDRP, mataas pa rin yung kailangang bayaran (if the MDRP is high, then there’s still a high cost to pay). We should optimize the bargaining power of the state under a single-payer system,” he added.
Salceda said the bill would allow the State to buy more medicines, which means “we can give more medicine for free to the poor.”
He noted that the bill also requires that the Philippine National Drug Formulary to include best-practices in prescribing and discourage the use of ineffective, dangerous, or excessively costly medications when better alternatives are available. The Formulary shall also encourage the use of generics to the greatest extent possible.
“The system will still be primarily market-based, but we will no longer allow branded and expensive medicines to drive prices up… If companies want access to the Philippine market, they will have to produce the most effective drugs at the cheapest price they can sell at,” Salceda said.
“The Cheaper Medicines Law was successful because it was able to lower costs for people who can buy medicine. It’s a good law, but it’s time to expand it. The spirit of my bill is simple: Cheaper Medicines for UHC. Cheaper Medicines for All. Period. Not just for those who can buy,” he said. (PNA)
