TB Drugs Expected Late Oct. or Nov. Amid Procurement Concerns

Tuberculosis (TB) drugs and related commodities are expected to be delivered in the country by the end of October or in November after their procurement was suspended, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday. During the agency’s budget hearing before the House of Representatives, DOH Secretary Edwin Mercado said the procurement evaluation is scheduled for Sept. 3 to 10, while post-qualification will be conducted from Sept. 11 to 22. A recommendation for the award is expected by the end of September. “The current procurement timeline is mid-evaluation from Sept. 3 to 10, followed by post-qualification from Sept. 11 to 22. Hopefully, a recommendation for the award will be made by the end of September,” Mercado said. “If it is awarded by the end of September, it will take another one to two months, so delivery is expected by the end of October or in November,” he added. In August, health advocates and workers asked the Office of the Ombudsman to dismiss Mercado's predecessor, then Health Secretary Jose “Brix” Pujalte Jr., over the alleged suspension of the procurement of TB drugs and related commodities. In a letter to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, the health advocates said Pujalte’s decision to suspend procurement for the tuberculosis program was tantamount to grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, which they said warranted dismissal from public office. The accusers also said procurement timelines are fixed by law to prevent corrupt administrative discretion. An indefinite suspension of procurement without valid legal grounds, they said, “is an illegal sabotage of open competitive bidding.” Pujalte, however, said it would be best for him to assess the procurement rather than immediately sign off on it to ensure that the TB medicines were of good quality. He later resigned from his post, supposedly for health reasons. In its proposed 2027 budget, the DOH allocated P3.72 million for TB programs. “We are also focusing on community-based settings, particularly congested areas where many drug-resistant TB cases originate, including detention facilities and crowded workplaces where screening can be conducted,” Mercado said. He added that medicines for multidrug-resistant TB and extensively drug-resistant TB are also included in the 2027 budget. Based on DOH data, TB cases in the National Capital Region reached 101,807 as of Feb. 16.— MCG, GMA News