Warning: The Philippines may be dangerous to your health

It’s bad enough that nowadays people have to put up with politics and endless investigations, that business investors have to write off expenses because contracts are overturned, or that crimes like carjackings are on the upsurge. What’s worse is that even the simple act of walking on the streets can now spell disaster because air pollution is causing more people to get ill, with two million Filipinos suffering from chronic lung diseases. A leading lung specialist says walking in Metro Manila especially at six o’ clock in the morning is the worst time because the pollution level is at its highest. It’s like smoking 20 packs of cigarettes all at the same time. If the quality of air doesn’t get any better, Metro Manila will become uninhabitable in 10 years or sooner. This is contrary to DENR assurances that pollution levels have improved. Clearly, life in the metropolis has never been so stressful. It’s no longer an exaggeration when people say that living in the Philippines can in fact be dangerous to your health. I’m not a doctor but I can venture to guess that perhaps NBI Director Wycoco’s aneurysm could have been triggered by the pollution. One thousand hospitals have closed in the last five years due to the exodus of our health workers. Nurses and doctors are going abroad for obvious economic reasons. But what is really even more distressing is the fact that in this country, the cost of medicines is virtually one of the most expensive compared to other countries. A pain reliever selling for P20 here can be bought at P2 or even less in India and Pakistan, a 1,000 percent disparity. India was able to solve the problem of high cost of medicines by allowing local drug manufacturers to produce generic drugs without having to pay royalty to patent holders.

The Commission on Audit (COA) report on P25 million worth of expired and expiring medicines just languishing in DOH warehouses is infuriating considering that almost 30 percent of the population can’t afford to buy medicines. How can something like this happen? Those responsible for this should literally be given a "shot in the arm" with a syringe full of air. According to our friend and fellow Rotary member – PITC Chairman and CEO Obet Pagdanganan – 80 to 90 percent of essential drugs in the Philippines are already off patent, yet the cost of these medicines are still beyond reach by many Filipinos. The Generics Law has been in existence since 1988, yet the strong influence of the multinational drug cartel has effectively derailed efforts to promote the use of generic medicines that sell at much cheaper prices.

My brother, Dr. Quasi Romualdez tried to do this even when he was still assistant secretary under former Health Sec. Alran Bengzon during Cory Aquino’s term. When he became health secretary in 1999, he wanted to reduce the prices of medicines by as much as 30 to 60 percent by encouraging the use of quality generic medicines. Multinational pharmaceutical firms, however, maligned his efforts saying this would infringe on trade regulations. In fact, these multinationals even threatened to sue him and the Department of Health and use their influence to get their embassies to issue trade sanctions against the Philippines. To his credit, former President Joseph Estrada supported my brother all the way, including his population control program. That’s why to this day, Erap believes his population policy was one of the reasons why the late Cardinal Sin and the Catholic Church went all out against him.

Among the top 10 causes of death in the Philippines are heart diseases, TB, pneumonia and other lung diseases, diabetes and kidney diseases. The leading causes of hospitalization include again lung diseases and heart problems. No wonder foreign embassies have warned that personnel being sent here should be physically fit and not prone to heart problems, asthma and related lung problems. Medications for these killer illnesses are very expensive. They require long term – if not lifetime – treatment. Approximately 40 percent of Filipinos live below the poverty line – meaning they subsist on $1 dollar per day or even less, so obviously they can’t afford to buy medicines for various illnesses. In fact, 40 percent of the population particularly those in the provinces never get to visit a doctor. Nowadays if ever you get to see one, the average waiting time is about two hours. There’s such a shortage of doctors and worse, some of them train to be nurses just to be able to get better pay abroad.

Clearly, the government has to be more aggressive in its efforts to make essential drugs affordable and accessible to Filipinos. Thankfully, this is what the PITC is trying to do by buying medicines from Indian manufacturers through parallel importation. Another is by establishing Botika ng Bayan outlets nationwide that would sell cheaper but quality medicines and eventually to reduce the cost of medicine by half their current price in five to six years. To date, PITC has established 747 Botika ng Bayan and PITC-accredited retail outlets. Despite having been threatened with a lawsuit by a member of the multinational drug cartel, Obet is bent on pursuing the programs of PITC. In fact, it has entered into partnerships not only with local manufacturers but even a multinational like GlaxoSmithKline for lower prices for certain branded medicines like Ventolin, an anti-asthma medication.

At the end of the day, our population growth continues to be the root cause of our problems. We have more and more people who ultimately do not get quality health care. Overpopulation ultimately causes pollution and the deterioration of health services. Living in this country has indeed become hazardous to one’s health. In fact, a commercial with the "Bawal magkasakit" tagline proves to be true because when you get sick in this country – especially if you can’t afford it – chances are you will end up dead. What a way to control population.

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