Poor being deprived meds, DoH officials warned

Data presented by newly appointed DoH Secretary Edwin Mercado showed that expired stocks in 2025 were valued at about P217 million, while near-expiry stocks reached P477 million.

“So it is very clear that there is corruption here. It would be best for the Blue Ribbon Committee to investigate this, because it has been happening every year,” Tulfo said, describing the practice as a “modus.”

The Blue Ribbon Committee is chaired by Sen. Erwin Tulfo, the senator’s brother.

Tulfo attributed the recurring medicine wastage to a suspected kickback scheme, alleging that the DoH makes last-minute or emergency purchases from favored suppliers to bypass competitive bidding.

Kickbacks

He said such purchases could result in cheaper medicines with shorter shelf lives. “And of course, if it’s cheap, there’s a kickback involved. Just imagine how many millions the procurement officer pocketed in kickbacks from those billions’ worth of expired supplies,” he said.

Mercado confirmed that one of the DoH undersecretaries who recently resigned had been in charge of procurement. He said the department would form an investigative committee to look into the issue.

A resolution filed by Tulfo in May showed that expired DoH medicines and medical supplies from 2015 to 2018 reached P18 billion. Commission on Audit findings have repeatedly flagged medicine wastage in the DoH.

In 2019, auditors found P2.2 billion worth of expired and nearly expired drugs in DoH-run warehouses. A 2022 audit report also found more than P7.43 billion worth of medicines that were expired, nearing expiration, damaged or undistributed.

In 2023, more than P11.2 billion worth of drugs and medicines had expired in DoH warehouses and health facilities. These included 24,539 bags of donated dialysis solutions and more than P7.03 million worth of Covid-19 vaccine vials.

In 2024, audit findings again showed more than P134.3 million worth of medicines and supplies that had expired or were nearing their shelf life. “Someone should go to jail for this. Someone’s head should roll. That amount is really scandalous,” Tulfo said.

Excess stocks

DoH Undersecretary Gloria Balboa attributed the recurring expirations to a “systems problem.”

She said medicine requirements are forecast a year in advance for budget and procurement planning, but delays and failed bidding can disrupt those projections, resulting in excess stocks or expirations.

Balboa said medicines should ideally have an 18-month shelf life upon delivery. The DoH accepts supplies with at least 15 months of shelf life, provided suppliers replace them when they reach six months before expiration.

When Tulfo asked for a receipt or copy of the supplier’s guarantee letter, Balboa was unable to produce one.

Mercado said the DoH is now enforcing stricter procurement rules requiring medicines to have an 18-month shelf life. “You need to establish a system — ideally, a perfect one — so that no medicines will expire anymore. If some expiration is unavoidable, it shouldn’t amount to hundreds of millions,” Tulfo said.