DOH in hot water as audit report reveals ₱134.2M in expired and nearly expired medicines under Herbosa’s watch

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday, December 11, condemned the Department of Health (DOH) after a Commission on Audit (COA) report revealed ₱134.2 million worth of expired and nearly expired medicines under DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa’s watch.

In its annual audit report for the DOH in 2024, the state auditor reported that ₱34.8 million in drugs and supplies had expired in 2024, while another ₱99.4 million worth were nearing expiration across multiple regions.

In a statement, Gatchalian said COA’s findings exposed “alarming and deeply troubling” mismanagement that deprived Filipinos of essential healthcare services.

“As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, I find COA’s findings of DOH mismanagement of funds resulting in expired and near-expiry supplies alarming and deeply troubling at a time when many Filipinos continue to be deprived of adequate healthcare,” Gatchalian said.

“Such wastage, which is a significant foregone benefit for the public health sector, is a clear indication that the DOH is not maximizing the efficiency of its allotted budget,” he stressed.

Gatchalian stressed that the wastage of medical supplies showed the DOH was failing to maximize its allotted budget for public health.

“Hindi katanggap-tanggap ang ganitong pag-aaksaya ng pera ng taong bayan. The DOH must answer for millions in expired medicines,” the senator said.

Gatchalian also demanded accountability, insisting that negligent DOH officials “must answer for millions in expired medicines.”

“Dapat panagutin ang mga opisyal ng DOH na naging pabaya. Our national health budget must be maximized, especially for the benefit of our poorest and most vulnerable constituents,” he said.

State auditors attributed the losses to poor monitoring, weak inventory controls, and procurement lapses that left essential medicines unused or undistributed.