Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 4) — Cancer patients ask for the inclusion of additional medicines under the updated list of essential drugs now sold at half their retail prices.
Executive Order No. 104, which took effect on June 2, imposes maximum retail or wholesale prices on 87 drugs through a 50 percent price reduction.
Menchie Auste, chief executive officer of the Cancer Warriors Foundation, lauds the issuance of the executive order, saying it offers significant assistance, especially to Filipinos who are often discouraged from seeking appropriate treatment due to costly medicines.
However, the patient support group also appeals for the government to add more drugs in the list to further aid patients, especially those financially-impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Meron pong mga sakit na sa pakiramdam nila ay kailangan pa po sanang madagdagan ang listahan ng gamot para matulungan pa lalo ang ating mga pasyente,” Auste said. “Ito po ay cancer, psoriasis, at yung mga neurological diseases po katulad ng myasthenia gravis.”
[Translation: There are medications for illnesses which patients feel should be added to the list, including those used to treat cancer, psoriasis, and neurological diseases like myasthenia gravis.]
The foundation also calls for additional emergency cash aid for children and the elderly with life-threatening diseases, chronic illnesses, or who are immunocompromised.
The executive order includes, among others, drugs that address the health problems of the general public, especially those that account for the leading causes of morbidity and mortality.
As stated in the measure, the list of medicines with imposed maximum retail prices will be subject to review by the Department of Health, in consultation with the Department of Trade and Industry, within six months from the order’s effectivity and every six months thereafter.
