Medical Pyramid Scandal Breaking in PH; A Doctors-owned Company likened to a “multi-level marketing scheme” enticed Doctors to advertise/prescribe expensive drugs in return for junkets.
In a country where health care is a luxury for most, this is the most offensive and disgusting of behaviors from professionals in whose hands Filipinos place their lives. Trust in medicine is broken!
The conversation between DOH health secretary and Senator Tulfo, regarding pharma-sponsored junkets for doctors, during a senate health committee hearing early in April 2024 has exploded.
Tulfo went on to call for quality control for generic medicines, which Herbosa had argued and justified often do not work as well as branded drugs.
Then on Sunday 20th April, the stakes hotted up, with this breaking opinion piece on what, previously mostly overlooked, looks like a pyramid-scheme pharmaceutical company. This company, incorporated by doctors, royally incentivized doctors in their network to promote certain products: receiving rewards of cash, plane tickets, watches and luxury cars, among others.
Luxuries were literally bought with the blood money of their Filipino compatriots. This scandal is being called out as bigger than the 2020-21 Pharmally Pharmaceuticals scandal wherein a newly founded company with no track record and minimal capitalization was awarded multibillion peso Covid-19 PPE contracts1.
The unnamed medical company is a big earner, being a Bir Large Taxpayer; Large Taxpayers have authorized capital of at least PHP300 million.
Dr. Tony Leachon2 (whose X and FB accounts I cannot access, as he has blocked me and many others among those who have questioned Covid responses), has hit the news big time with his calling out of a medical pyramid scheme. Many different publications are covering his “speaking out” (mixed Tagolog-English), which first appeared on twitter.
Leachon, a cardiologist and former director of Pfizer PH, has been almost rabid in promoting Covid-19 vaccines, and called for their mandating. He has also recently been calling for mandating of pertussis vaccines. Has he had a change of heart in calling out of the medical pyramid scheme, of which he (clearly) is not part?
DOH reacted to the breaking news with Department Order 2024-0141, which sets out code of practice advising doctors against receiving anything from pharmaceutical companies that may be seen as influencing their prescribing decisions.
I can see 10s of thousands of med-reps suddenly losing their jobs, and annual medical conventions of the various medical societies downgraded from grand gala events to mundane lectures in 3-star hotels, if this DO is followed! Med-reps may be the only way a busy, overworked doctor, would know about new meds.
DOH publicly reminded medical professionals of their ethical duty of care:
Medical professionals are expected to uphold professional and ethical standards. The interest of the patient shall be paramount to any interest. Societal pressures, financial gains and administrative exigencies shall not compromise the rights of the patient to quality healthcare service.
How ironic given the travesty of coercion that the medical system morphed into during the pandemic. Vaccination was essentially forced; unvaccinated persons were denied access to private and government services, medical care, travel and transport, and public spaces, among others.
Surely it is time that the DOH and government officials do some serious soul searching over their own handling of the pandemic. Do the DOH-WHO relationship and directed actions stand up to the scrutiny of patient rights and true duty of care? Were health officials incentivized to push certain narratives? We already know that influencers were employed to help sway public opinion.
During the pandemic, patient and consumer rights were absolutely trampled. An example is the extent to which typically overreached hospitals3 were mandated to reserve covid-19 beds, whether they were used or not, at the expense of provision of all other care.
All of these grand patient-doctor / patient-medical professional ethics and relationship principles were totally trampled on during the covid plandemic.
Duty of care was forgotten, first do no harm, cautionary principle, all shredded in the mad rush to comply with WHO dictates of lockdowns, quarantines, controlled medications (remdesivir = run! Death is near… due to kidney failure which will be blamed on Covid-19), vax-vax-vax, track and trace, etc, etc.!
This new scandal is disastrous publicity for the medical system in a country where most people cannot afford anything more than basic care, and the costs of any sort of advanced treatment can destitute families, even middle-class families.
Most doctors still swear a Hippocratic oath when they graduate. Have they forgotten their sacred duty as a guardian of life and health, in favor of allegiance to money, luxury and profit!
It is time for a rebirthing of medicine. Moving away from reliance on pharmaceuticals and towards vibrant health built by working with nature (and with mostly minor assistance from the medical system).
The revised Hippocratic Oath
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
“I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians, researchers, and patients in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.”
“I will apply, for the benefit of the healthy and the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.”
“I will remember that there is an art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife, the chemist’s drug, or the programmer’s algorithm.
“I will treat my patients in an equal-level partnership, and I will not be ashamed to say “I know not,” nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient’s recovery.”
“I will respect the privacy of my patients and their data, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know.”
Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.
“I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, a data point, or an algorithm’s suggestion but a human being.”
My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.
I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.
If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.
Bing gives a glowing description of Leachon: Dr. Tony Leachon is a prominent figure in the field of health care and advocacy. He has been actively involved in championing health care reforms and creating a culture change. Dr. Leachon is a respected internist and cardiologist currently serving at Manila Doctors’ Hospital. His contributions extend beyond clinical practice, as he has held significant roles in health-related advisory positions.
Here are some key points about Dr. Tony Leachon:
Special Adviser for Non-Communicable Diseases (DOH):
Dr. Leachon was appointed as a special adviser by the Department of Health (DOH) in the Philippines. [SS note: Soon after he was effectively de-appointed!)
His expertise primarily focuses on addressing non-communicable diseases and promoting health awareness 12. [SS note: he is also a vehement vaccine supporter: c19 and all others]
Advocacy and Reforms:
Dr. Leachon has been a vocal advocate for health reform initiatives. [SS note: including mandatory vaccines]
His work aims to improve health care systems, enhance public health policies, and create positive changes in health outcomes 345.
Despite his resignation from the DOH advisory position, Dr. Tony Leachon continues to play a significant role in shaping health care policies and advocating for better health practices in the Philippines.
It is quite usual for many hospitals to have shortage of beds / resources / staff to handle even typical care.
Been happening for many years now.