DOH investigating Pharmally exec’s revelation on ‘tampered’ face shields’ expiry dates

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Monday said the revelation of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. official Krizle Grace Mago that the expiry dates of the face shields were tampered is already being investigated.

At the resumption of the House committee on good government and public accountability on the controversial purchase of COVID-19 supplies, panel vice chairman Representative Johnny Pimentel asked the Department of Health if the face shields delivered to the agency have expiration dates.

"Wala naman ho yatang nakalagay, but I'm still having that investigated because of the revelation of the officer of the Pharmally... We're checking on this, "Duque answered.

Pimentel also asked the Health secretary if indeed the face shields have expiry dates despite being not perishable.

"May I know from DOH, mayroon bang expiry date ang face shields considering that this is not perishable commodity unlike ng pagkain, even canned goods, alam po natin may expiration 'yan because napapanis po 'yan. Itong face shields, hindi naman napapanis ito. Mayroon bang expiry dates ang face shields?" Pimentel said.

[May I know from DOH, is there an expiry date for face shields considering this is not a perishable commodity unlike food?]

In response, Duque said face shields have a shelf life of 36 months or three years.

"The DOH has established a shelf life for medical grade face shields. The shelf life is 36 months, according to our Disease Prevention and Control Bureau director Beverly Ho. There is a component of the face shield that has a  styrofoam," Duque said. 

Pimentel said the issue that must be focused on was not the expiry dates but if the face shields have all been utilized by the medical frontliners.

During the Senate inquiry last week, Mago disclosed that the face shields'  expiration dates had been tampered with as instructed by Pharmally corporate treasurer and secretary Mohit Dargani.

Dargani had denied giving that instruction.

After her revelation, Senator Richard Gordon bared that they could no longer contact Mago.

Meanwhile, a motion at the House inquiry was made to issue a subpoena ad testificandum to Mago. — RSJ, GMA News