Friday, August 22, 2008 Davao City is pilot site of meds surveillance By Grace L. Plata
DAVAO City is now the site for the pilot implementation of the medicine surveillance program of the Department of Health (DOH) under the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD).
Dubbed as the "Medicines Surveillance System Integrating Consumer Reporting" or "Bantay Gamot," the program is considered an important part of improving the quality of medicines in the market as well as monitoring any adverse effects on the patient.
Deborah Legaspi, Food and Drug Regulation Officer of BFAD, said that with each medicine purchased from drugstores, a consumer is given a "Bantay Gamot" form.
This will be used to report any unusual reaction to the medicine by submitting the form to BFAD.
Legaspi added that the same prescription for drugs should not be used over time as this could pose danger to the patient.
"With medicine surveillance, it is expected that harms caused by drugs are detected and removed adequately and timely, socially expanding the role of health professional practices and improve trust and confidence of the public in the quality of drugs in the market," Legaspi said.
The city was chosen as the pilot site due to the full support given by the local government, academe, private sector, drug store owners and the office of the Senior Citizen Affairs.
