Task force sought to solve shortage of Tocilizumab
SENATOR Ralph Recto on Tuesday said Malacañang should convene a task force, to include diplomats and Taipans, that will solve the shortage of Tocilizumab and other anti-pneumonia drugs made scarce by the surge in the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Recto said it is time “to assemble a national team” that will address the dearth in medicines which can prevent deaths from COVID-19 complications.
“Tap those who can help, from diplomats to businessmen with excellent global connections. They may have the personal contacts that bureaucrats do not have,” he said.
Recto believes that while global supply of Tocilizumab is tight, the problem can be solved by our best minds.
As to funding, Recto said “there are billions in reserve in the P151.64 billion Unprogrammed Fund, whose release can be triggered by the ongoing government borrowings.”
He also pushed for an increase in the proposed P29.97 billion DOH budget for medicines and vaccines next year so that the likes of Tocilizumab and Remdesivir can be included in the shopping list.
And once these medicines are bought, they should be subjected to proper storage and distributed efficiently in order to prevent their spoilage.
