The Secretary of Health is empowered to create advisory bodies and consultative councils under Rule 28, Section 2, pursuant to Republic Act No. 9502, otherwise known as the œUniversally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008 . For this purpose, the National Center for Pharmaceutical Access and Management (NCPAM) is hereby established under the Office of Secretary of Health. NCPAM shall have two (2) divisions, namely: the Policy, Planning and Advocacy Division and the Pharmaceutical Management Division and these divisions shall be managed by the Program and Deputy Program Managers, respectively, to be designated by the Secretary of Health.

The Secretary of Health shall designate the Undersecretary of Health on Regulations who shall exercise administrative supervision and control over NCPAM and shall promulgate rules, regulations and other issuances as may be necessary to ensure the effective implementation of RA 9502.

NCPAM shall coordinate its efforts together with other government agencies including but not limited to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Philippine International Trading Corporation (PITC), and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC).

Among others, the powers and functions of the NCPAM are:

a. To implement,  strategize, maximize and monitor the impact of RA 9502;

b. To manage and implement the National Drug Policy;

c. To undertake appropriate policy studies to provide evidence in conceptualizing and implementing strategies that will improve access to essential medicines, especially for the poor;

d. To engage and coordinate with relevant stakeholders to build coalitions, forge agreements and for other purposes as necessary in line with Millennium Development Goal (MDG) No. 8;

e. To provide secretariat support to any council or body created in pursuit of the effective implementation of RA 9502;

f. To facilitate the processing, coordinating, generating and analyzing inter-agency price monitoring reports from DTI and local government units;

g. To regularly review and update the essential drug list to make it responsive to the needs of the people;

h. To perform such other functions as may be incidental to the above or as may be directed by the Secretary of Health.

Funds to carry out the activities, projects and programs of NCPAM shall be taken from P/A/P No. A.111.a.5, Republic Act No. 9524, the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2009 entitled National Pharmaceutical Policy Development including provision of drugs and medicines, medical and dental supplies to make affordable quality drugs available.

The current organogram of NCPAM and its personnel complement is attached under Annex A.^*

This Order shall take effect immediately.

Adopted: 08 Jan. 2010

(SGD.) FRANCISCO T. DUQUE III, MD, MSc
Secretary of Health

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^* Text Available at Office of the National Administrative Register, U.P. Law Complex, Diliman, Quezon City