Finally Overstocked drugs have been reconciled and recorded.

The Department of Health (DoH) announced on Saturday that it has already distributed some P3.54 billion out of P18.49 billion worth of overstocked drugs and medicines but noted that it “remains unrecorded pending submission of transfer receipts and other pertinent documents by third-party logistics providers.”

In a statement, the Health department said that some P12.22 billion out of the P18.49 billion worth of overstocked drugs and medicines were “reconciled and recorded” as of 31 August this year.

Some P2.89 billion worth of health commodities are also stored in DoH warehouses and Research Institute for Tropical Medicine storage, the agency added.

“To ensure efficiency in the distribution of drugs and medicines, the Department is currently in the process of procuring a customized Electronic Logistics Management Information System for easy access to information on availability of stock, stock-outs, real-time inventory balances, expiring and about to expire commodities, utilization even at the LGU levels and among other important information needs,” the DoH said.

To recall, state auditors earlier found that DoH has accumulated some P18.49 billion worth of overstocked drugs and medicines in 2018 and drugs and medicines amounting to P367.15 million were also found to be nearing expiration dates, said the Commission on Audit in its annual audit report.

Among the near-expiry medicines were mental health drugs, cancer drugs and diabetic drugs.