“PHYSICIANS are allowed to dispense and maintain an appropriate amount of dangerous drugs, provided they don’t have access to commercial drugstores within 5 kilometers from their location.”

This was revealed by Belen Matibag, deputy executive director for operations of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), during their Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting on the “Classification of Dangerous Drugs, Controlled Precursors and Essential Chemicals late last week.

Earlier, physicians from various hospitals in Metro Manila disclosed their practice of administering regulated drugs directly to their patients.

The group reviewed the salient points of Board Regulation 3, Series of 2000 and Board Regulation 3, Series of 2003. Both provide specific directives on the dispensing and prescribing of dangerous drugs, and covers physicians, dentists, chemists, medical technologists, nurses, midwives and veterinarians.

Physicians who have S-2 licenses are allowed to maintain a “professional supply” of dangerous drugs and similar preparations, provided that they would maintain a record of receipt and distribution of such substances. More so, they are to submit these registers for review of the DDB, through the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Those who are, however, located in areas with ready access to drugstores and hospitals that dispense dangerous drugs and related drug preparations will not be allowed to dispense and maintain supply of such substances.

Matibag cited that this move to observe legal procedures is in line with one of the DDB’s aims to streamline legal medical operations by harmonizing enforcement with that of ready access of legitimate users to dangerous drugs.

The logic of this practice said Allan Dionisio of the National Poison Management Control Center and TWG member, is that it balances two values—one is preventing diversion of dangerous drugs to the illegal market; and second, ensuring that due treatment reaches those patients who need these drugs.

While certain drugs classified as dangerous by Republic Act 9165, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and by the DDB have therapeutic value and are helpful in pain management, they remain to be highly regulated, since they stimulate psychoactive effects, have high potential for abuse and are prone to diversion, Matibag said.

The DDB, as the policy-making and strategy-formulating body on matters of drug abuse prevention and control, employs regulatory compliance under its drug supply reduction strategy. The legitimate users of these substances are assured of access to these drugs and at the same time, abuse and diversion of such to the illicit market is stopped.

Manila in East Asian survivors’ league

NEWLY appointed World Bank Philippine country director Bert Hofman has a rosy view of the East Asian economies that include those of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). He says they will remain resilient due to strengths in their domestic markets even in the face of the US economic slowdown.

THE  state-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) will open the newly constructed Subic-Clark segment of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) for free to light vehicles from Tuesday to Monday next week.

CHRISTIAN reflection can best be observed with wholesome action.  

Environment Secretary Lito Atienza said the thousands of Filipinos who are about to make their annual trek to the provinces this Holy Week can help keep forests and ecotourism sites clean and green by simply avoiding the practice of discarding garbage anywhere.

ZAMBOANGA CITY—The military offensive against Abu Sayyaf bandits and other lawless elements will continue despite the observance of Holy Week, the military said.

THE National Police’s Task Force Usig has filed murder cases against 13 communist rebels allegedly involved in the separate killings of two businessmen, who were reportedly executed for their failure to agree to pay “revolutionary taxes” to the New People’s Army (NPA) in Masbate,

“PHYSICIANS are allowed to dispense and maintain an appropriate amount of dangerous drugs, provided they don’t have access to commercial drugstores within 5 kilometers from their location.”

A LEGISLATOR has filed a bill mandating local governments to appropriate at least 10 percent of their annual Internal Revenue Allotments to fund local health programs and services.