By Cris G. Odronia, Reporter
The Manila Times, February 25, 2009

Reducing the prices of medicine is not enough to improve health care in the Philippines, an executive director of the Center for Legislative Development International said Tuesday.

According to Prof. Emmanuel Leyco, “a pricing policy response is not going to work” because even if medicine prices are reduced, only those who can afford to buy them will benefit.

In his presentation at the Kapihan para sa Kalusugan forum held at the Asian Institute of Management, Leyco said some of the factors that impede access to health care services are availability, affordability and accessibility.

Citing the recent Family Income and Expenditures Survey, Leyco said about 70 percent of the population do not have access to health care services not only because of the prevailing market prices of medical care but also because of their low income. 

He pointed out that among the top 10 expenditures of the Filipinos, medical care has ranked No. 8. The No. 1 expenditure is food, followed by house rent and transportation and communication.

He said government’s attempt to keep a tighter control on health care facilities and price levels of medicines in the Philippines through the passage of the Anti-Hospital Detention Law and the Cheaper Medicines Law, will have little impact on the medical needs of the poor.

“It [Cheaper Medicines Law] was a very sincere effort. [However], what was not considered was the people purchasing power profile and spending pattern,” he said. “These are the two major aspects [that need to be considered."

Leyco argued that even if the government would reduce the prices of the medicines, the poor ones, especially those who have no savings, “particularly the bottom 50 percent of the population, would not be able to benefit from it.” 

For the poor ones to have access to health care, the government has to give it for free, Leyco said. But if they are given medicines, the poor have other things to worry about such as access to hospital facilities.

“We need to have a focused targeted health policy,” Leyco said, adding the government has to focus on rural areas.

Citing the figures from the National Statistics Office and the Department of Health, he said there is an uneven distribution of healthcare resources and physicians and nurses in the country. Majority of the nurses and doctors are operating in the National Capital Region.