Monday, September 03, 2007 Quality, cheaper drugs to come at Baguio City hall
A "BOTICA ng bayan" offering branded, generic and imported drugs at lower costs than those found in commercial pharmacies would open next week at the Baguio City Hall in line with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's half-price medicines project.
The outlet began stacking up last week after Mayor Reinado Bautista Jr. signed a memorandum of agreement covering the project with the government-owned PITC Pharma Inc.
PITC is Philippine International Trading Corp., which has been importing and distributing branded medicines as much as half the prices compared to same brand items produced locally.
Noli Balatero, PITC Pharma's account officer for Cordillera and Region 1, earlier worked out the mechanics of the project with the Association of City Employees headed by Mercedes Pel-ey.
Under the agreement, city employees would be given a 10-percent discount from the listed price of imported drugs and a five-percent discount on branded generic and true generic drugs.
Employees can purchase medicines on credit, under a 30-day salary deduction scheme to be arranged with ACE and the City Treasurer's Office.
As agreed, the botica would also serve the public "in accordance with established business regulations and in strict compliance with the PITC product/price list for branded imported medicines and locally sourced branded generic and true generic medicines".
The mayor noted in the agreement the role of the PITC as the lead government agency in Arroyo's half-price medicines project to make essential medicines available, accessible and affordable to Filipinos, especially the poor.
Arroyo signed in July 2005 Executive Order (EO) 442 designating PITC's functions as an attached agency to her office for the procurement and distribution of low-priced quality medicines through the establishment of botica ng bayan drug outlets all over the country.
Section 3 of EO 442 mandates the participation of other government agencies, including local government units, in the program designed to provide Filipinos access to affordable medicines.
The President, in her State of the Nation Address (Sona) last July, also urged Congress to pass the Cheap Medicines Act.
The PITC, through its pitc.gov.ph website, has announced it is targeting 2,000 Botica ng Bayan outlets to be opened all over the country by the end of the year.
The City Hall outlet is the third "full-pledged" Botica ng Bayan to be opened in Baguio with at least 80 percent of its stocks coming from the PITC program. The other two are the Baguio Association of Retired Persons outlet beside the Rizal Park and DRJ at Upper Session Rd.
Most of PITC's imported branded medicines come from India, from sister-companies of multi-national pharmaceutical firms also operating in the Philippines. (RD)
