‘… the Philippines ranks fourth worldwide in TB incidence, according to ‘The Lancet,’ an independent international weekly general medical journal…’
WHEN President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed power after his magnanimous win during the May 2022 presidential derby, he immediately buckled down to work from where the National Priority Plan (NPP) was formulated.
NPP embarks on a list of the government’s priority programs, projects and activities in the areas of education, health, youth and sports development, human settlements, science and culture, and economic development.
Oh yes, healthcare is among the top priorities of his administration, but his trusted lieutenant at the Department of Health (DOH) doesn’t seem to realize the need to address what appears to be an urgent concern — tuberculosis, or TB for brevity.
In the list of the top 10 leading diseases in the Philippines, six are related to TB, which makes it imperative for the government to address a growing concern the way it did during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For one, the Philippines ranks fourth worldwide in TB incidence, according to “The Lancet,” an independent international weekly general medical journal as it disclosed over a million active tuberculosis in the country. Of this number, 70 die every day.
The World Health Organization (WHO) came out with its own data which showed 741,000 TB infections. Of this number, around 61,000 people died of TB, mostly coming from the vulnerable sector – those who have less, people infected with HIV, prisoners, cigarette smokers, diabetics, the immunocompromised and malnourished.
According to 2023 data from the Department of Health (DOH), there are 612,534 TB cases in the Philippines.
Regardless of which data is accurate, the truth of the matter is that we should act fast, starting with strategic planning and prioritization of TB treatment guidelines.
For the longest time, the Philippine government has been engaging in a battle against TB, for which the government has launched quite a number of programs primarily designed to prevent casualties.
Infectious as it is, TB could easily be transmitted to another person through the air we breathe when unknowing TB carriers cough, sneeze or spit.
While TB is an infectious disease, modern-day science has shown that it can be cured but only if the government can act on it with a sense of urgency – just like what the entire world did during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic which effectively put the global economy in a standstill.
I hope that our good friend, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cesar Chavez, was able to wake Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa from his stupor. Yours truly reached out again to Secretary Herbosa, his communications team, Assistant Secretary Atty. Frances Mae Cherryl Ontalan and Ambica International Corporation through its president Kamal Abichandani and its vice president Deepu Bhatia to get their side. This columnist will write the reply of the DOH and Ambica in the name of responsible journalism.
Apparently, there is a mafia in Tayuman, Manila and they are allegedly working in cahoots with their favored supplier to exclusively handle DOH’s TB treatment program.
Tuberculosis treatment took a backseat in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as the government shifted its priority to the urgent need to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the country’s population.
After the pandemic, the DOH gradually resumed TB treatment and bidded out a supply deal for TB medicines — the first was on November 28, 2023 and the second one was on February 28 this year. Interestingly, a third bidding was conducted on August 28, 2024 – and the same bidder who reportedly failed to deliver was able to participate and win again.
All three bids had exactly the same items and contract price, except that the third bidding seemed to have reduced the quantity for a reason we don’t know yet but may cause some concern from auditors and anti-graft watchdogs.
Ambica bidded last February 28, but has allegedly requested cancellation of the Notice of Award. The reason cited by Ambica, I was told, was that the cost of the medicines went up to a level that the budget provided by the DOH was insufficient for them to be able to procure and deliver.
As per GPPB Resolution 09-2004, if the bidder, in this case, Ambica, refused to accept the award, DOH’s Bids and Awards Committee shall forfeit the bid security of the bidder and shall initiate the blacklisting proceedings in accordance with the Uniform Guidelines for Blacklisting.
