‘Pharma scheme’ probe: Complainants to be heard by Senate body

Blue Ribbon Committee to understand whether gov’t agencies did their job in regulating - Cayetano

Senator Pia Cayetano answers questions from the media during her meet-and-greet with health workers and mothers in Mandaue City, Cebu on Tuesday, May 14. | CDN Photo/ Emmariel Ares

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Senator Pia Cayetano said that they would be calling on the complainants as part of their investigation on the alleged marketing scam committed by a pharmaceutical company and doctors in the country.

The Blue Ribbon Committee has taken the lead in the ongoing investigation on the issue on doctors allegedly prescribing medicines distributed by the Bell-Kenz Pharmaceutical Company.

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The Senate Committee on the Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, also known as the Blue Ribbon Committee, is headed by Senator Pia Cayetano.

Pharma Scheme probe launched

An investigation was launched by authorities on the alleged “multi-level marketing networking” of a local pharmaceutical company called Bell-Kenz Pharma Inc.

Bell-Kenz Pharma Inc. is an all-Filipino doctor owned company that distributes antibiotic products, health supplements, anti-diabetic, and anti-hypertensive medicine across the country.

Reports surfaced that the company has allegedly been giving big commissions to doctors as incentives for prescribing the firm’s expensive medicines to their patients.

Moreover, there is a possibility that there are government doctors involved in the alleged scheme, which is alarming.

During her visit to Mandaue City, Cebu on Tuesday, May 14, Cayetano answered some questions from the media about the issue that they are investigating.

She explained that as it is the committee’s responsibility to hold government officials accountable, they will be looking at how the companies were regulated.

Therefore, the Department of Health (DOH) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and possibly the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) will be taking part on the hearing on the issue.

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Cayetano further said that in order to understand whether the government agencies were performing their duties in regulating, they would be calling on the individuals who expressed their complaints.

“Is it about the high price of medicine? Is it about medicine a fake? Is it about the marketing scheme? Unethical ba ang behavior na yan? (Is that behavior unethical?) May conflict of interest ba ang doctors? (Is there a conflict of interest on the doctors (side))? And what is government doing about it?,” Cayetano listed as the questions that must be answered.

Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s job

She highlighted that their job would to find solutions and what would be the actions that the  government would be doing.

“Kasi at the end of the day, hindi ko job na mag-start or mag-continue ng teleserye. It’s my job to find solutions. And that’s why ang puno’t dulo nito is what is government doing about it, because we need to assure the people na the health system we have created is reliable,” she said.

(Because at the end of the day, it not my job to start or continue a teleserye. It’s my job to find solutions. And that’s why the end all of this is what is the government doing about it

The goal in getting to the bottom of the alleged marketing scam committed by pharmaceutical companies and doctors is to ensure that Filipinos remain to trust the country’s health care system.

“Ang ayoko mangyari, mawalan ng faith ang mga tao sa health system, sa mga doctors nila, and then makikinig sa mga Tiktok, sa kung sino-sinong hindi naman doktor. No, we need to preserve the integrity of the health system. That’s my job,” Cayetano stated.

The senator was in Cebu for a short while to attend a meet-and-greet with health workers and women of Mandaue City at the Barangay Ibabao-Estancia gymnasium.

The event was also a post-Mother’s Day celebration for Cayetano to spend with other mothers in the city and relay her advocacy to make policies that protect women who work.