MAKING medicines accessible to the poor has long been seen as essential in attaining the policy goal of health equity for all.
A recurring policy theme that the government has adopted towards this goal focused on the prices of medicines that many considered were beyond the reach of the poor majority. Towards this end, the government has, by way of legislation and executive orders, sought to bring medicines, especially those used to cure or control the most common diseases, within the reach of even the poorest households. Among the measures that have been adopted was the Generic Drugs Law that mandated the use of generic names in prescribing, labeling and marketing of drugs to give consumers more choices and discretion in their purchase of drugs, other than relying on more expensive "branded" drugs. Recently, the government took more unprecendented steps to bring down the price of the most essential drugs. These included the importation of cheaper medicines from neighboring countries, the establishment of small neighborhood pharmacies selling medicines at subsidized prices, and the outright imposition of a price ceiling on medicines most in demand.
Should government give away free medicines?
Based on a study on affordability of drugs, Filipino wage earners must forego up to a day's worth of income to access drugs. What are the options for policy makers to address this issue?
