Senator Imee Marcos has called on the government to cut the prices of more medicines and hasten the purchase of critical equipment other than just testing kits, as the country scrambles to fight the spread of coronavirus disease or Covid-19.
She said more medicines for those who are “immunocompromised” or have weaker immune systems due to illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, and lung disorders should be included in the list of 72 more drugs that the government is considering this week for price regulation.
While there is still no vaccine or cure for Covid-19, she said that cheap medicines are the only hope of those with weak immune system.
Marcos issued the statement ahead of a mandatory technical working group meeting of the health and trade and industry departments to discuss the 72 drugs that will be added to a previous list of medicines subjected to price caps.
The TWG is supposed to convene Wednesday, or 30 days after President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order 104, which imposed maximum wholesale and retail prices on 133 medicines in February.
Besides cheaper medicine, Marcos also called on health officials to speed up the purchase of PPE’s or personal protective equipment for frontline medical staff, and oxygen, ventilators, and beds for critical patient care amid the alarming trajectory of confirmed cases of Covid-19, from four to more than 140 in just over a week.
“We should be there for the protection of those in the frontlines and in the critical care of patients because they cannot cope up with the fast spread of the new coronavirus due to scarcity in testing kits,” Marcos said.
