Gov't warned vs importing raw materials for medicine

Former Bulacan Gov. Roberto Pagdanganan is wary that government plan to import raw materials for medicine may open the floodgates of abuse, including the "legal" importation of materials for prohibited drugs.

This was Pagdanganan's quick reaction to the plan of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to import raw materials to bring down the costs of basic medicine announced during a hearing of the Senate committee on health and demography.

"Government issues praise releases while the poor are mired in misery. Now it offers a cure that may be worse than the malady," he stressed.

"A drop here and there changes the application of chemicals for drug formulation. Given government ineptitude and corruption, we are taking great risk that influential people may use illicit entries on these materials. We have seen rampant smuggling under the liberalization program, as an example," Pagdanganan reasons out.

Pagdanganan is a licensed chemical engineer with a law degree. As governor of Bulacan, he fought hard in the fight against illegal drugs, not only against street pushers but also against drug lords.

"The upward trend of medicine costs is nothing new. But government twiddled its thumb. Now and in effect, the government solution is to subsidize foreign rather than find solutions through local capabilities, Pagdanganan explains.

"If there is a drug cartel, then use sustained political will to demand a social conscience from these firms. But do not use a critical problem to yet control another sector of the economy by those close to the powerful," he claims.

As an alternative, Pagdanganan bats for government support for indigenous medicine, particularly the herbal formulary. He believes that researchers have established the preventive and curative powers of local herbal medication.

The cost of herbal medication is only a fraction of drugs in full commercial exploitation, Pagdanganan concludes.