Press Release - Privilege speech Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada

When the pursuit of profit eclipses the sacred duty to heal

Mister President, esteemed colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

Today, I rise before you with a heavy heart and a sense of moral obligation to shed light on a matter of grave concern within the medical community. It saddens me to say that a significant conflict of interest and unethical behaviors have seeped into the medical profession, compromising their commitment to prioritize the well-being of their patients above all else.

Reports have come out that certain doctors have become entangled in the web of a pharmaceutical company that shamelessly peddles its products through a deplorable multi-level marketing scheme.

Mr. President, my dear colleagues, an all-Filipino-owned pharmaceutical company engaged in distributing anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic, antibiotic products and health supplements nationwide, called Bell-Kenz Pharma Inc. is at the center of this issue.

Maliban sa iilan sa kanila, napag-alaman ko na ang kumpanyang ito ay binubuo halos ng mga doktor, mga espesyalistang doktor. Sa datos mula sa Securities and Exchange Commission, ang mga tumatayong directors o officers ay sina Luis Raymond T. Go bilang presidente, Alina Fatima M. Hojilla (vice president), Joseph Vincent T. Go (corporate secretary, a lawyer), Jaime F. Cayetano Jr. (treasurer) at limampu't walong (58) iba pa na stockholders na pawang mga doktor mula sa iba't ibang panig ng bansa.

Karaniwan na nating naririnig ang mga insentibong ibinibigay sa mga doktor at nakasaad naman sa Philippine Medical Association Code of Ethics na maaari silang tumanggap ng mga regalo. Nakasaad sa Article 6 nito na "only gifts of reasonable value that primarily entail benefit to patient care or related to physicians' work may be accepted by a physician from a health product company."

Ganito rin ang nakasaad sa The Mexico City Principles, ang itinuturing na international code of business ethics sa biopharmaceutical industry na inindorso sa Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) noong 2011 at kung saan ay signatory ang Pilipinas at ipinatutupad ng Department of Health sa pamamagitan ng Administrative Order No. 2015-0053.[1]

Ang mga doktor ay