[CP 195 Internship] DOH-PD

• Executive

  • Vested in the president
  • Executes, implements, and enforces the laws
• Legislative

  • Congress (Senate & House of Representatives)
  • Writes the RA
  • Type of documents being published: Bills and resolutions
• Judiciary

  • Supreme court
  • Interpret the law
• Hierarchy of laws

  1. Constitution
  2. Treaties, RA, Supreme Court Decisions, Customary Laws
  3. IRR
  4. Executive and Administrative Issuances
• Constitution


  Basic, essential, primordial, transcendental, and supreme law of the land
• Treaties


  Signed by the President as agreed upon by the international community (e.g., pandemic treaty, trade-related aspects of intellectual property)
• Supreme Court Decisions


  Decision on how to interpret the law
• Customary Laws


  Tradition of the indigenous communities
• Article II, Section 15 of the PH Constitution 


  The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them
• Article XIII, Section 11 of the PH Constitution 


  The state shall adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall endeavor to make essential goods, health, and other social services available to all the people at affordable cost.
• Department of Health

  • The Department shall be primarily responsible for the formulation, planning, implementation, and coordination of policies and programs in the field of health
  • The primary function of the Department is the promotion, protection, preservation, or restoration of the health of the people through the provision and delivery of health services and through the regulation and encouragement of providers of health goods and services. (EO No. 292 s. 1987 Administrative Code)
• Medicines Access Pathway

  1. Clinical trials
  2. Regulations
  3. Selection
  4. Procurement
  5. Storage and distribution
  6. Rational use
  7. Reimbursement
  8. Program review
• RA 9502: Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008

  • Intended to achieve universally accessible, cheaper, and quality medicines by pursuing an effective competition policy in the pharmaceutical sector
  • The goal is to lower the prices of medicines and to impose ceiling prices
• RA 11223: Universal Health Care Act

  All Filipinos are guaranteed equitable access to quality and affordable healthcare goods and services, and protected against financial risk.
• Pharmaceutical Division

  • National Drug Policy-Pharmaceutical Management Unit
  • Created in 2010 pursuant to Republic Act 9502: National Center for Pharmaceutical Access and Management (NCPAM); and,
  • Renamed as PD by virtue of the Rationalization Plan
• PD's Vision


  By 2030, Filipinos should have sustainable access to quality and affordable essential medicines and reduced out-of-pocket health spending aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Universal Healthcare (UHC) agenda.
• Philippine Medicines Polidy 2022-2030


  Its vision:

  • By 2030 sustainable access to quality & affordable essential medicines reduced out-of-pocket spending aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and Universal Health Care agenda.
• 1986

  • First Philippine National Drug Policy
  • Creation of the National Drug Committee
• 1988


  Generics Act was passed
• 2019


  UHC Act was passed
• A in ACCESS

  • Assurance of Safety, Efficacy, and Quality
• First C in ACCESS

  •  Collaboration on Availability and Affordability
• Second C in ACCESS

  • Commitment to Rational Use of Medicines
• E in ACCESS

  • Effective Networking, Partnerships, and Good Governance
• First S in ACCESS

  • Sustainable Financing and Resources
• Second S in ACCESS

  • Strengthening Health Systems
• Assurance of Safety, Efficacy, and Quality

  • KS1: Strengthen the regulatory system for medicines
  • KS2: Build and design the clinical trial system to elevate the country as a Regional Center of Excellence
  • KS3: Institutionalize the National Pharmacovigilance  Program
  • KS4: Combat substandard, falsified and counterfeit medicines
  • KS5: Strengthen the regulation of herbal products and complementary medicines
• Collaboration on Availability and Affordability [Availability Key Strategies]

  • Promoting self-sufficiency through local production
  • Strengthen strategic procurement initiatives for medicines
  • Implementation of the Philippine Supply Chain Roadmap
  • Equitable access schemes for medicines in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs)
  • Timely supply and delivery of essential medicines
  • Ensure drug and vaccine security
• Collaboration on Availability and Affordability [Affordability Key Strategies]

  • Promote fair competition in the pharmaceutical industry
  • Advance efforts on market transparency
  • Promote the use of biosimilars and quality unbranded generics
  • Strengthen pricing regulation for high-cost medicines
  • Expand and sustain tax exemptions for medicines
  • Implement policies on discounts for Special Populations
  • Strengthen local capacity for innovation and apply intellectual property to improve public health
  • Stabilize Drug Prices during Health Emergencies
• Commitment to Rational Use of Medicines

  • Streamline processes for the development of National Clinical Practice Guidelines
  • Regularly update the Philippine National Formulary
  • Strengthen the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees at all levels of healthcare
  • Promote rational prescribing, dispensing, and use of medicines
  • Implement the National Action Plan to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) through One Health Approach
  • Mainstream the use of Traditional and Complementary Medicines in the health system
  • Foster the ethical promotion of medicines
• Effective Networking, Partnerships, and Good Governance

  • Establish and standardize Guidelines and Frameworks for Networking and Partnerships
  • Harmonize and prioritize areas for networking and partnerships
  • Improve sustainability of existing networking and partnerships
  • Create clear standards of Good Governance in Medicines (GGM)
  • Uphold transparent, evidence-based and accountable processes
• Sustainable Financing and Resources

  • Strengthening national strategic purchasing of medicines
  • Ensure good value for money through evidence-based selection of essential medicines
  • Maximize price negotiation as a mechanism to improve the affordability of medicines for public funding
  • Strengthen local government financing
• Strengthening Health Systems

  • Ensure sufficient manpower and capacitated human resources
  • Establish a module on the integrated health information system for medicines
  • Create a unified research agenda on medicines
  • Promote health literacy and people empowerment
  • Support access to medicines within Health Care Provider Networks (HCPNs)
• Bawat Pilipino [8-point Action Agenda]

  1. Bawat Pilipino ramdam ang kalusugan
  2. Ligtas, dekalidad, at mapagkalingang serbisyo
  3. Teknolohiya para sa mabilis na serbisyo
• Bawat Komunidad [8-point Action Agenda]

  4. Handa sa krisis

  5. Pag-iwas sa sakit

  6. Ginhawa ng isip at damdamin
• Bawat Health Worker [8-point Action Agenda]

  7. Kapakanan at karapatan ng health workers

  8. Proteksyon sa anumang pandemya
• Affordability, Availability, Rational Use

  3 main access themes
• Affordability

  • Maximum Retail Price (MRP)
  • Drug Price Reference Index (DPRI)
  • Electronic Drug Price Monitoring System (EDPMS)
  • Price Discount on Medicines
  • Price Mark-up
  • Drug Price Watch (DPW)
  • Price Negotiation Board (PNB)
  • TRIPS and International Concerns
• Availability

  • FOURmula One Plus Botika ng Bayan/ Bayani (F1 Plus BNB/ BNBI)
  • Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee (PTC)
  • Active Drug Safety Monitoring and Management Program (aDSM)
  • Pharmaceutical Management Information System (PMIS)
  • Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Security (PMDS)
  • Ulat Gamot (Drug Shortage)
• Rational Use

  • Philippine National Formulary (PNF)
  • Antimicrobial Resistance/ Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMR/ AMS)
  • Interagency Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance (ICAMR)
  • Advocacy