President Duterte has authorized the immediate procurement of rapid test kits for the new coronavirus disease even if these have no regulatory approval yet from local authorities.
The President said he was ready to “take the risk” and “clear the way” for the purchase of rapid test kits to enhance the government’s efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
“There’s a rule that we cannot use public funds to buy medical supplies, medicines, without the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) signal so na-hostage ‘yung mga rapid tests that we would like to buy. I will take the risk. I will order the health department and everybody,” he said in taped public address aired on state television late Monday.
“I will ask Secretary (Francisco) Duque (III) to talk to the people in charge — si Secretary (Carlito) Galvez (Jr.) and they can proceed to buy it immediately as fast as you can really do the procurement at this time,” he said.
Even if there is no local regulatory approval yet, Duterte said these coronavirus test kits have the approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration anyway.
“In the meantime, the private sector is doing it. Maybe we can take over someday or do it altogether with your help. I am clearing the way by ordering the purchase tutal walang FDA local,” he said.
Duterte explained that the purchase of rapid test kits has been delayed due to the ongoing debates among health authorities on their efficacy. He lamented that in the health department assigned to assess these medical supplies, “nobody seems would like to act on it with a jiffy.”
“There is a kind of a ruckus now regarding the procurement of the PCR testing kits of 900 people. Essential kits and other kits in activation supplies, [PCR] consumables, seven [PCR] machines, 10 automated extracting machine and 10 biomedical freezer additional equipment for subnational and regional testing laboratories,” he said.
“When you use public funds on anything that’s medical or medicine, you want to have the health assessment. I think it comes from the Department of Health. But unfortunately until now, they are still debating on the efficacy of the rapid tests we would like to buy,” he said.
Galvez, in the same public briefing with the President, said they intend to buy P3.3 billion worth of test kits for the coronavirus. He said the 40,000 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based test kits from Sansure Biotech Inc. can test 900,000 people.
“The PCR that we will be buying worth 3.3 billion to include all the capacitation of more or less — more or less 28 nationwide accredited civilian and government hospitals,” he said.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles told the President that under the universal healthcare law, the DoH and the PhilHealth cannot procure supplies without the approval of the Health Technology Assessment Council.
Nograles, however, said the Office of Civil Defense and other agencies could proceed with the purchase of such goods. “Nothing will preclude, Mr. President, any other agency from purchasing. So hindi lang pwede ang DoH at PhilHealth but because we are in the state of calamity, OCD can purchase,” he said in the same public briefing Monday.
Nograles, in a virtual conference Tuesday, said the President agreed that the government would use both PCR test kits and rapid tests in the country to help detect, isolate and treat patients.
The government’s planned purchase of additional rapid test kits comes amid its aggressive targeted testing to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Probable and suspected coronavirus, hospitalized patients especially the elderly, pregnant and those with pre-existing medical donations, as well as health workers will be given priority in the government’s coronavirus testing. (Genalyn Kabiling)
