A Catholic bishop has joined in appealing against medicine hoarding and price manipulation amid a reported shortage in flu drugs, spurring others to panic buy.
Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio of the CBCP’s Commission on Healthcare said that drug shortages can have a significant impact on patient care, and hoarding may worsen the problem.
“It is greedy to buy a large number of medicine. Please don’t do it,” Florencio said over Manila archdiocese-run Radio Veritas.
“If we don’t need that much, don’t buy that many drugs. It is not just you, who wants to live,” he said.
Some drugstores earlier lamented a shortage in paracetamol and other drugs for flu and cold-like symptoms amid the rise in COVID-19 cases.
READ: ‘Out of stock’ paracetamol supplies in pharmacies? DOH, DTI deny reported shortage
The bishop, who also heads the country’s military diocese, also urged those vaccinated against COVID-19 to help encourage others to get jabbed.
“To those of us that are fully vaccinated already, let us give assurance to those unvaccinated that it is safe,” he added.
As of January 9, the health department said there have already been 52.39 million fully vaccinated individuals in the country.