Questions on the Costs of PPE Being Procured by Government

https://opinion.inquirer.net/129763/rip-off

Rip-off?

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:08 AM May 13, 2020

ROJoson's Notes:

PPE against COVID19

Two issues to clarify before the differing costs are cited, if not raised with suspicion:

1. What really comprises PPE against COVID19?

2. What is the quality of each component of PPE?

The gist in this alarming report:

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire justified the P1.8-billion tag by saying that not all PPE are created equal. What the DOH bought, she explained, was the “most complete” set with an N95 mask, coveralls, gloves, head cover, shoe cover, goggles, surgical mask, and surgical gown.

Before this, the office of Vice President Leni Robredo had managed to buy from a local manufacturer PPE sets at about P400 each, for donation to hospitals at the COVID-19 frontlines.

On May 9, National Task Force COVID-19 chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. announced in Davao that the government intends to buy three million PPE sets for P20 billion.

The procurement, he added, will be from June to August: “We are stockpiling on PPE sets because this COVID-19 might last until 2021.”

Fine — but break that price down and it translates to a staggering P6,667 each per PPE. Now, if what the DOH bought for P1,800 each in March was already the “most complete” set, according to Vergeire, what other add-ons and accoutrements could the new P6,667 PPE possibly boast of to justify its astronomical price?

The World Health Organization has raised concern over the unusually high number of health care workers in the Philippines succumbing to COVID-19, hence the safety and reliability of medical equipment being bought with tax money assumes critical importance. Now, unless Galvez et al. come up with an adequate explanation for their P20-billion PPE purchase, it appears an even more basic issue may be bedeviling the procurement of COVID-19 supplies: Is the people’s money being used properly, judiciously?

Read more: https://opinion.inquirer.net/129763/rip-off#ixzz6MJD5fp4s

ROJ@20may13

See ROJoson's Writing on Definitions and Categorization of PPE

https://sites.google.com/site/rojosontporsoncovid19/definitions-and-categorization-of-ppe