THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has reminded all pharmacies and other related businesses about the price freeze on essential emergency medicines ,including the ordinary and N95 face masks due to coronavirus disease (Covid-2019).

Rowena Divinagracia, chief of DTI Consumer Protection Division, said the medical price freeze was based on the Department of Health (DOH) Memorandum 2020-0058 dated January 31, 2020, freezing any increase in the prices of emergency medicines and face masks nationwide.

Divinagracia said the DOH memo also included DTI to include medical supplies and masks in its monitoring of process of basic and prime commodities.

Divinagracia said upon receipt of the memo, her office immediately conducted inspection and monitoring of medical supplies and surgical masks.

It was noted that in the first week of February, there was limited supply of face masks in most hospitals and major pharmacies in the city. (SunStar Zamboanga)