Photos of the ambulances procured by the Department of Health which Sen. Panfilo Lacson claims were overpriced. (Photos from DOH)
MANILA, Philippines — The procurement of government ambulances which were alleged to be overpriced was compliant with the licensing standards and have undergone competitive bidding, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Saturday.
In a statement, the DOH said the procurement of ambulances was “compliant with the licensing standards set forth in Administrative Order 2018-0001 and have undergone competitive bidding to get the lowest price possible.”
The agency was commenting on the allegation of Senator Panfilo Lacson that ambulances bought by the DOH were overpriced by P1 million per unit. Lacson made the disclosure during an inclusive interview with INQUIRER.net for INQside Look.
Lacson noted that under the department’s Health Facilities Enhancement Program, ambulances with complete medical equipment were acquired at P2.5 million each. However, he said he checked with local governments that procured similarly equipped vehicles and found out that the actual cost per unit was only P1.5 million.
The senator said he was still gathering more documents to come up with more accurate figures. The DOH, meanwhile, said it will await the documents being referred to by Lacson.
“We will be able to shed light on the issue once we see the specific documents. Ang masasabi ko lang ay nag-procure ang mga implementing units ng naaayon sa batas (What I can say is the units were procured in accordance to law),” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
Photos of the ambulances procured by the Department of Health which Sen. Panfilo Lacson claims were overpriced. (Photos from DOH)
The DOH explained that the concerned ambulances are Type I ambulances, fitted with Basic Life Support equipment such as defibrillators, laryngoscope with 3 blade sizes, suction machines, immobilization devices, and communication equipment as prescribed under the licensing standards set forth in Administrative Order 2018-0001.
“Additionally, included in the procured ambulance are usually vehicle insurance, LTO registration, and orientation and training of end-users on the use and care of the ambulance and equipment,” it added.
Duque assured that the DOH is open to efforts of the government for checks and balances.
“Tayo po sa DOH ay mananatiling bukas ang pinto sa mga inquiries na ito bilang parte ng checks and balances sa gobyerno. Sa pagprocure ng mga ambulansya, ang hangarin lang po namin ay magbigay ng mas mabuting serbisyo sa ating mga kababayan lalo na sa panahon ng kanilang pangangailangan,” the Health Chief said.
(We in the DOH are open to such inquiries as part of the government’s efforts for checks and balances. In procuring the ambulances, we aim to provide a better service to our citizens especially in this time of need.)