Negros lawmakers call for review of UHC law

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines  – Negrense lawmakers are calling on the joint congressional oversight committee on Universal Health Care to conduct an immediate review and assessment of the UHC law, particularly its provisions that limit the country’s access to any breakthrough drugs and medicines amid the present pandemic.

Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez (third district, Negros Occidental) was joined by 10 other lawmakers, including Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya, Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Stephen Joseph Paduano, Reps. Ma. Lourdes Arroyo (fifth district, Negros Occ) and Rep. Rafael Leo Cueva (second district, Negros Occ.), in filing House Resolution 1031, which seeks a review of Republic Act 11223 to determine if there is a need to amend its restrictive provisions.

The lawmakers are referring to Section 34 of the UHC law, mandating Health Technology Assessment (HTA) as a process of institutionalizing a fair and transparent priority-setting mechanism for the development of policies and programs, regulation and the determination of a range of entitlements such as drugs, medicines, pharmaceutical products and other devices, procedures and services.

HTA Council is an advisory body to the Department of Health secretary tasked to provide recommendations for action to DOH and PhilHealth regarding medical technology in the country.

Under the UHC law, the conduct of HTA based on safety and effectiveness provides that each intervention must have undergone Phase IV clinical trial and systematic review and meta-analysis be readily available.

The lawmakers questioned the post marketing surveillance requirement (Phase IV), which is the practice of monitoring the safety of pharmaceutical drug or medical device, after it has been released in the market.

Phase IV clinical trials for drug development would mean that the whole world will have to use the drug first, carefully observe and analyze its effects over a period of several years and only then can the country use it, they said in the resolution.

With this requirement, the whole world already has access to a certain drug or vaccine and is using it, while the Philippines merely watches and every time a product changes to respond to new scientific data, the country goes back to zero.

Section 34 of the UHC law contradicts the very spirit of the UHC law to healthcare accessibility as it connotes that Filipinos will have no recourse but to travel to other countries to gain access to any breakthrough medicines and drugs, they also said.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is the defining global health crisis of our time and the greater challenge our country has faced since World War 2, and as COVID-19 cases continue to increase in an international scale, it is imperative for Congress to review the UHC law, rectify this landmark legislation and make the availability of medicines for Filipinos grounded on sound and rational legislation,” the lawmakers further said in their resolution.