The Manila Times – February 14, 2008

THE Department of Health (DOH) today presented its new generic drugs campaign called Project 100, or Pl00, which aims to provide the public with quality drug packages for common diseases for only P100.

“In 100 days from today in 100 DOH and selected local government hospitals, a P100 worth of treatment drug packages that are 100-percent rational, safe and effective will be available to the public. The red-letter date would be on May 23,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd said during the project's launch held at the Philippine Heart Center on Wednesday.

Duque revealed that treatment drugs for hypertension, diabetes, and some common infectious diseases are to be prioritized in the campaign.

Under Pl00, consumers can get more value for their money since they can purchase a complete set of treatment drugs instead of buying them individually or “tingi-tingi”.

According to Duque, if drugs are bought individually for common diseases, this would cost a patient from P120 to P500. 

These P100 packages will be available nationwide in the pharmacies of 72 DOH-run hospitals such as Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, National Kidney and Transplant Institute and Philippine Children's Medical Center, among others. It will also be available in 28 selected local government hospitals.

The Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC), Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD), World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union also collaborated for the Pl00 project.

“Under the auspices of the President [Gloria Arroyo] and the Secretary of Health, PITC has been working with the DOH in making essential drugs readily accessible even to the poorest of the poor, “ PITC President Jorge Judan stressed.

The BFAD, for its part, is creating a regulatory environment that will support the project and will provide quality assurance safeguards.

WHO Country Representative Soe Nyunt-u lauded the government's continued efforts to bring affordable quality drugs to the Filipino people.

“[The] Philippines used to be the country with the second most costly medications after Japan. Now with these new efforts, in the next couple of years that can be considered a thing of the past,” Nyunt-u said.  – KATRICE R. JALBUENA