CoA flags DoH’s expired supplies worth P226M

The Commission on Audit (CoA) flagged the Department of Health (DoH) for failing to properly distribute P226.16 million worth of drugs and medical supplies in 2025, resulting in expired inventory and the inefficient use of public funds.

State auditors attributed the problem to operational and administrative shortcomings in the DoH’s planning, distribution and warehouse monitoring systems, which hampered the timely utilization of medical supplies.

CoA said these practices were inconsistent with established DoH policies, particularly its Warehouse Operations Manual and World Health Organization guidelines stating that donated medicines should have a remaining shelf life of at least one year.

“Such guidelines emphasized that it is important that the recipient official responsible for acceptance of the donation is fully aware of the quantities of drugs being donated, as overstocking may lead to wastage,” the audit report read.

The annual audit also found that the problem was recurring, citing similar findings in the previous year’s report.

CoA said the repeated lapses underscored “the necessity of definitive administrative interventions to address long-standing vulnerabilities” in the department’s implementation of its guidelines.

“These long-term observations suggest critical opportunities to further align procurement and supply chain management frameworks with best practices,” the report said.

State auditors also pointed out that expired medicines and medical supplies continued to incur unnecessary costs for warehouse space and the manpower needed to manage the obsolete inventory.