Press Release - Bong Go proposes policy to regulate self-referrals in medical profession to avoid conflicts of interest and uphold integrity of medical prescriptions

To safeguard the integrity of the medical profession in the country, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go has proposed implementing a Philippine version of the U.S. Stark Law, or the physicians' self-referral law, aiming to prohibit physicians from financially benefiting from patient referrals to specific healthcare services.

This proposal was made following the alleged unethical practices in the pharmaceutical industry, mainly the suspected multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme by the company Bell-Kenz Pharma.

"Isa rin po sa gusto nating gawin ngayon ay kung pwede po tayo magkaroon ng batas, just like ito pong U.S. Stark Law, the physicians' self-referral law," said Go who presided the public hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Health and Demography on Tuesday, April 30.

This regulation prevents physicians from directing patients to receive specific health services from entities where the physician or their immediate family member has a financial interest, except under certain permitted circumstances.

"Dito sa Pilipinas, wala tayong batas directly and explicitly prohibiting physicians na mag-refer po ng mga pasyente sa mga health... Importante rito paano tayo makabuo ng batas. 'Yan po ang pag-uusapan natin dito," he added.

This initiative stems from concerns over the commercialization of healthcare, where it is reported that some doctors receive commissions, luxury goods, and even vehicles for promoting, referring and prescribing specific pharmaceutical products.

Go said that reports suggest that some pharmaceutical companies allegedly offer doctors incentives, including commissions, luxury watches, plane tickets, and even expensive cars, to promote their medications and services. This has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest in the medical community.

Go also cited existing regulations that aim to uphold ethical standards in healthcare, such as Republic Act No. 6675, or the Generics Act, which mandates prescriptions in generic names, and RA 9502, or the Universally Accessible and Affordable Quality Medicines Act, empowering the Department of Health (DOH) Secretary to curb unethical drug promotions.

Further, he referenced RA 11223, or the