MAG, together with its partner organizations, political detainees and political prisoners and their relatives, celebrates the yuletide season during the Paskuhan sa Kampo (Christmas in Detention) last December 2009.
MAG warmly welcomes Dr. Esperanza Cabral as the newly appointed secretary of the Department of Health (DOH).
Sec. Cabral has been a member of MAG since the organization's early years.
After years of waiting for the passage of the much-contended legislation, the debacle over the Cheaper Medicines Bill hounds the public even after its celebrated passage in June of 2008.
More than a roller coaster ride
To say that the campaign to pass the Cheaper Medicines Bill was difficult is a complete understatement.
The legislation with its noble purpose to ensure affordable medicines to Filipinos had gone through various controversies before it gained the passage it rightfully deserved.
Letter to the Editor:
Inquirer.Net : http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view_article.php?article_id=104447
Philippine Star: http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Letters%20to%20the%20Editor&p=49&type=2&sec=127&aid=20071205160
First of all, the Cheaper Medicine bill seeks to address the lack of affordable medicines for Filipinos. It does not replace the physicians’ authority and responsibility in determining the appropriate and safe treatment for their patients with the “practice-of-medicine-at-the-drugstore-counter,” as PCP alleges. In fact, the Cheaper Medicine bill seeks to broaden the medical treatment and options available for both the physicians and their patients by making medicines more accessible and affordable to the public.