Bohol Second District Board Member Romulo Cepedoza, chair of the Committee on Health and Public Sanitation, is expected to present the final report of the investigation on the expired medicine fiasco in four province-owned hospitals.
The report will be submitted to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) after the executive session on February 14, where officials and pharmacists of four provincial hospitals were grilled by the committee members.
Also present during the session were officials from the Provincial Procurement and Management Unit (PPMU), headed by Paul Rabuya, who oversees the bidding and purchasing of medicines for the provincial government.
The investigation was prompted by the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) that four provincial hospitals – Garcia Memorial Provincial Hospital in Talibon, Teodoro B. Galagar District Hospital in Jagna, Cong. Simeon Toribio Memorial Hospital in Carmen and Catigbian District Hospital – procured medicines worth P1.8 million that expired before they could be used.
Cepedoza said that the committee discovered some irregularities in the management of drug procurement that led to the spoilage of medicines in the four hospitals.
He said that some of the medicines were bought at prices higher than the drug price reference index (DPRI), which is a guide for the government and the public on the reasonable prices of medicines.
He also said that there were mistakes in the COA report, particularly in the prices of the medicines, which he claimed were inflated.
He added that there were lapses in the handling of the medicines, as the supplier had to deliver the drug supply first to the office of the governor before distributing them to the hospitals.
This caused delays and exposed the medicines to unfavorable conditions, such as heat and humidity, that could affect their quality and shelf life, he said.
The chiefs of hospitals, on the other hand, alleged that the PPMU had already set the prices of the medicines before the bidding process, and that they had no control over the selection and delivery of the medicines.
They also claimed that they followed the proper procedures in storing and disposing of the expired medicines.
The PPMU chief denied the allegations and said that the PPMU followed the rules and regulations in procuring and distributing the medicines.
Cepedoza bared that the PPMU coordinated with the hospitals and the supplier to ensure the timely and efficient delivery of the medicines.
Cepedoza revealed that the results of the report will be referred to the Provincial Legal Office for any appropriate legal action.
He also said that the committee will recommend measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents and to improve the health services in the province.