Philippines: Oxfam urges House leaders, Malacañang to prioritize drug patent rules amendments

International agency, Oxfam urges House Speaker Jose de Venecia and
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to deliver their promise to the
people of giving priority to the passage of the Cheaper Medicines
bill, amid the brewing squabble for the House leadership when Congress
resumes tomorrow.

The international agency cites House Speaker de Venecia’s assurance
early last month that “nothing will derail” the approval of the
medicine price reduction bill before Congress goes on recess on
October 13.

“The people have waited long for this measure. We fear a repeat of the
failure of Congress to pass this urgent measure like what happened in
the 13th Congress when public health was left in the cold as the
chamber focused on numerous political issues plaguing the country,”
said Shalimar Vitan, Oxfam’s Access to Medicines campaign coordinator.

According to the President’s State of the Nation Address, the
Philippines is one of the countries in Southeast Asia selling
high-priced medicines. President Arroyo declared the bill, one of the
urgent measures of her administration.

Vitan said the responsibility of upholding public health interests
still lies on the President and the public officials duly elected by
their constituents. She said the health care of low-income families is
highly vulnerable as they can barely survive with their daily basic
needs.

“The burden of financing health care rests heavily on individual
families. More families are spending on health care, coming from their
own pockets with a miniscule share from government and social health
insurance,” said Vitan.

The Philippine National Health Accounts of the National Statistical
Coordination Board states that 44% out of the P136 billion of total
expenditure for health in 2003 came from out-of-pocket expenditure of
individual families. This pales in comparison with the national
government’s share of only 16.7%, local government 17.5%, social
health insurance 9.5% and 12.3% for other sources like private health
insurance, community based financing, and employer’s benefits.

According to the Family Income and Expenditure Survey in 2000, a
family spends an average of P46 for drugs and medicines out of every
P100 budget for health care spending. The poorer regions like Samar
and Leyte in Region 8 spend P64 for medicines in every P100 budget on
medical care while the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
spends P56 for drugs and medicines in every P100 for health care.

The law, amending the existing patent rules on medicines will allow
importation of cheaper versions of patented medicines currently
available elsewhere in the world. It will also prevent big, foreign
pharmaceutical companies from abusing their patent privileges and
control on prices of medicines.

The Senate passed on second reading its version of the bill, Senate
Bill 1658 on October 2, 2007.

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