EDITORIAL – End of free syringe project should not be end of story

The Department of Health has finally seen the light. It has finally seen the folly of distributing free syringes to drug addicts as a means to help curb the spread of HIV and prevent AIDS. The ill-conceived program has finally been terminated. What 110 million Filipinos outside of the few bright minds at the DOH knew to be a crazy idea is finally no more. Zilch. Kaput.

So, is the public supposed to give the DOH a standing ovation for its belated enlightenment? Not so fast, it is suggested. While the DOH might be grudgingly congratulated for at last sparing everyone concerned any further damage and inconvenience due to such a useless quest, it cannot be allowed to go scot-free from any accountability over any and all damage and inconvenience actually incurred.

For example, cannot anyone be held liable for this clear misuse of government funds? Right from the start, it was clear that giving away free syringes to drug users in order to help stem the spread of HIV and prevent AIDS was not going to work. Yet the DOH went ahead with the idea, no matter how crazy it sounded at the time. Spending God knows how many millions of pesos for the purpose.

Just because it was eventually proven crazy in the end and had to be stopped should not be the end of the story. Those responsible for the negligent discharge of official functions and duties and disadvantageous and unfaithful custody of government resources must be held to account over this fiasco. And God knows what those responsible are even liable for as a result of the thousands of false hopes inspired by the scheme.

It might even be worthwhile to look into the possibility that embarking on such a crazy project was a deliberate scheme hatched by its proponents for a number of profitable reasons. Syringes do not grow on trees. They are manufactured. And while they were being given for free, they were not freely acquired by government. The DOH had to procure them from a manufacturer.

Who the manufacturer is, only the DOH knows. Was the procurement done legally, only the DOH knows. How much did the procurement entail, only the DOH knows. There is so much about this failed and aborted project, a project that came at some cost and disadvantage to government, that is left to the sole knowledge of the DOH. It has and must be held to account over this fiasco.