The Department of Health (DOH) said it is strictly following the procurement rules and regulations in purchasing syringes needed for the government's COVID-19 vaccination program.
“We have to follow pertinent rules and regulations, even as we undertake urgent procurements and activities for the pandemic response," said DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III in a statement on Tuesday, Dec. 14.
"We in the DOH have always been and continue to be committed to good governance, a cornerstone of public health, more so now during this health emergency. Let us not put our health professionals down with baseless accusations,” he added.
The DOH issued the statement after Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teddy Locsin Jr. said that the Philippines "dropped the ball again" with regards to a possible deal that involves “50 million syringes.”
The DOH said it “has received an offer for the supply of 0.3ml syringes” from a company. However, the agency said it “cannot act on such an unsolicited proposal.”
“There seems to be a string of misunderstandings regarding this issue. For one, the DOH is not procuring 0.3ml syringes at the moment, as our CHDs (Center for Health Development) and hospitals have been given funds to procure the available alternative, tuberculin syringes," said Duque.
"What we are procuring are 0.5ml syringes, and as part of our pool of suppliers, we invited as many suppliers as we can to get the best price for the government," he added.
The DOH noted that it "has included the company in its pool of suppliers for the emergency procurement of 0.5ml syringes." The DOH also added that it "sent out Requests for Quotations (RFQs) to the proponent company and 50 other local suppliers."
"The DOH earnestly responded to the queries of the company through its technical staff, who are well-versed in the procurement process for health commodities and are specifically tasked to address queries from suppliers,” the DOH said.
“However, when the company questioned the Approved Budget for Contract (ABC) or the maximum contract price, for being too low, the Department had to reiterate the provision on Ceiling for Bid Prices of the 2016 Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA No. 9184," it added.
“The UNICEF-procured syringes are 0.3ml, and so their price is not comparable to that of 0.5ml syringes. Moreover, DOH was able to procure the 0.5ml syringes last April 2021 at P2.38, and has used such cost for its ABC,” it furthered.