Duque defends DOH budget for implants

Senate President Vicente Sotto III’s move to slash the Department of Health’s (DOH) P195-million budget for purchasing implants would “affect the effectiveness of the family planning program,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

“I hope it would be status quo, that it would not be removed. Because those who are using this are already used to it and this has been proven safe, based on the evaluation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA),” Duque told reporters on Thursday.

“The FDA has already cleared this product as nonabortifacient. Let’s leave it at that because they are the technical people who know what is harmful or what is safe … in accordance with their stringent standards of safety, efficacy and quality.”—JOVIC YEE