‘Bantay Gamot’ coalition formed to ensure affordable medicines

A coalition that would help ensure that Filipinos get access to affordable but quality medicines was recently formed by health agencies in the country.

Dubbed "Bantay Gamot," the coalition is led by the Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC) and is the first attempt in the healthcare sector for various health agencies to join forces and work toward the common goal of upholding the primacy of public health.

During the launch held at the Lepanto Building in Makati City Friday, PITC president and chairman Roberto Pagdanganan said the Philippines is the only country in Asia whose pharmaceutical market is dominated by foreign multinational corporations.

"The coalition believes that healthy competition is one of the most effective measures in driving down prices of medicines and break the cartelized system in the pharmaceutical market," Pagdanganan said.

The coalition plans to focus on strengthening the local supply base of quality medicines for a wide range of ailments and undertake serious reforms that would enable local suppliers to compete and survive in the market.

Pagdanganan said that by developing an alternative network of retail outlets like the "Botika ng Bayan" program, more Filipinos will have better access to quality healthcare at affordable prices.

"Bantay Gamot" will ensure that safe, efficacious and therapeutically equivalent medicines for the most common ailments are made available to all Filipinos," he stressed.

The other members of the coalition are the Philippine Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry, the Drugstores Association of the Philippines, Department of Health and the Bureau of Food and Drugs.