Department of Trade and Industry ignored by St. Luke's Medical Center?
Based on evidence, an "Atty. Pedro Vicente C. Mendoza, Director-in-Charge, Department of Trade and Industry" wrote a letter dated 2 June 2009 addressed to the Manager St. Luke's Medical Center, 279 E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave. Quezon City, referring to said manager my
letter which requested information on the services offered by said hospital. Said letter also contained the following statement: "Information and assistance with the action taken thereon my be directly coordinated to (me). Up to April 22, 2011, said St. Luke's Medical Center has not provided me with the requested information.


Based on my records, while Herbert Bautista was Quezon City Vice-Mayor, I wrote to him regarding said hospital. Up to April 22, 2011, said Herbert Bautista, who is now Quezon City mayor, has not provided me with a reply to my said letter. I have other
evidence vs. Herbert Bautista. I believe he repeatedly violated R.A. 6713.

Regarding Representatives Neptali Gonzales, Edcel Lagman, and Feliciano Belmonte, Jr.
who was Speaker of the House of Representatives, according to a source identified as Postmaster II Quezon City Central Post Office, my letters addressed to the above persons were delivered on September 13, 2010 to a person identified as Cesar Dasok of House of Representatives. Up to April 22, 2011, none of the above representatives has supplied me with a reply to my letters to them.


Advisory re Manila government hospitals.
For their own protection, it is beneficial for prospective patients of said hospitals to obtain beforehand the following information/proofs regarding said hospitals:
A complete list of the medical equipment at said hospitals, including the brands, models of said equipment and the dates of manufacture of said Euipment; A complete list of the persons authorized to operate said equipment and proofs, if any, that said persons have received the proper training in the operation of said equipment; A complete list of the medical personnel at said hospitals; Complete information regarding said personnel, including the names and addresses of the entities where said personnel received the appropriate education/training; A complete list of the verifiable grades said personnel obtained in the government licensure exams. Proof, if any, that said hospitals have sufficient personnel to provide 24/7 protection for patients; Proofs that said hospitals have adequate fully functional standby generators; Proofs that said hospitals have sufficient fully charged and functional fire extinguishers of the proper type; Proof that all the personnel in said hospitals have the proper knowledge and training in the operation of said fire extinguishers.Proofs, if any, that said hospitals have conducted fire drills and anti earthquake drills; Proof, if any, that, all the personnel in said hospitals have the knowledge on what to do with patients in case of a fire or an earthquake; Which, if any, of said hospitals is a trauma center? Are said hospitals ERs a three, two, or one level ER? Do said hospitals ERs offer round-the-clock diagnostic tests such as ultrasound, CT scans, and MRIs? What, if any, is the specialty of said hospital's ER? Are all the ER doctors in said hospitals board certified in emergency medicine? Are the entire staff of said hospitals ER skilled in pediatrics?
What, if any, pediatric equipment do the said ERs have? Do said hospitals ERs have a separate treatment area for children? Do said hospitals adhere to recommended infection control practices including standard, contact, droplet, and airborne precautions? What, if any, said hospitals doing to: prevent medication errors? protect their patients from infections? reduce radiation risk from computed tomography for pediatric and small adult patients? Do said hospitals have computerized prescription systems? Do said hospitals use patient bar codes to ensure that patients get the correct medication? If said hospitals do not use said patient bar codes, what kind of safeguards do said hospitals have in place to prevent medication errors? Proofs, if any, that said hospitals have in place measures to prevent health care-associated infections. Proofs, if any, that said hospitals have in place measures to prevent food poisoning.


Don't Be Tempted to Use Expired Medicines
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/SpecialFeatures/ucm252375.htm
By Sherunda Lister, Office of Communications
With curdled milk or petrified cucumbers it’s not hard to know when your food is past its prime, but how do you know when your medicine is past its prime?
Using expired medical products is risky and possibly harmful to your health. In the late 1970s, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring an expiration date on prescription and over-the counter medicines. “Expiration dates on medical products are a critical part of determining if the product is safe to use and will work as intended,” says FDA pharmacist, Ilisa Bernstein. Sometimes following “EXP,” the expiration date can be found printed on the label or stamped onto the bottle or carton; it is important to know and adhere to the expiration date on your medicine.
Expired medical products can be less effective or risky due to a change in chemical composition or decrease in potency. Improper storage – such as a humid bathroom cabinet – can also contribute to decreased effectiveness in medicines that have not reached their posted expiration date. To help ensure the proper shelf life of your medicine, it is better to store medicine in a controlled climate.
If you have expired medicine, it should be disposed of properly. Read the label for disposal instructions that may be included.
If no instructions are provided, a drug take-back program, if available, is a good way to dispose of expired, unwanted or unused medicine. Check with your local government to see if there is a drug take-back program available in your area. If no take-back program is available, federal guidelines recommend throwing medicine away in the household trash by placing it in a bag or container and mixing with coffee grounds or kitty litter.
However, some medicine is specifically recommended for flushing down a toilet or sink because while safe and effective when used as prescribed, it could be especially harmful to a child, pet, or anyone else if taken accidentally. For a list of medicines recommended for disposal by flushing, as well as other information on proper disposal, please see the Disposal of Unused Medicines page.
“Once the expiration date has passed there is no guarantee that an expired medicine will be safe and effective,” says Bernstein. “If your medicine has expired, do not use it.”
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FDA warns companies to stop making MRSA claims for over-the-counter products
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm252127.htm

FDA NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 20, 2011
Media Inquiries: Shelly Burgess, 301-796-4651; shelly.burgess@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA warns companies to stop making MRSA claims for over-the-counter products
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued four warning letters to companies that manufacture and market over-the-counter (OTC) drug products, including hand sanitizers, that claim to prevent infection from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (MRSA).

Labeling and marketing materials for the affected products also claim that they can prevent infection from other disease-causing agents. In addition, the labeling of some of the firms’ hand sanitizing drug products make claims related to preventing infection from E.coli and/or H1N1 flu virus. The FDA does not have sufficient evidence demonstrating that these products are safe and effective for these purposes.

The FDA warning letters were sent to the following firms:

Tec Laboratories for Staphaseptic First Aid Antiseptic/Pain Relieving Gel;
JD Nelson and Associates for Safe4Hours Hand Sanitizing Lotion and Safe4Hours First Aid Antiseptic Skin Protectant;
Dr. G.H. Tichenor Antiseptic Co. for Dr. Tichenor’s Antiseptic Gel;
Oh So Clean, Inc dba CleanWell Company for CleanWell All-Natural Foaming Hand Sanitizer, CleanWell All-Natural Hand Sanitizer, CleanWell All-Natural Hand Sanitizing Wipes, and CleanWell All-Natural Antibacterial Foaming Handsoap
The warning letters explain that the companies are marketing these products in violation of federal law.

“MRSA is a serious public health threat,” said Deborah Autor, director of the Office of Compliance in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “The FDA cannot allow companies to mislead consumers by making unproven prevention claims.”

The companies have 15 days to correct the violations cited in the warning letters. Failure to do so may result in legal action including seizure and injunction.


Off Schedule
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
People on a lot of medications can get confused or forgetful about when to take them, and so miss doses or take too many. At Northwestern University in Chicago, Michael Wolf looked into that in data on 484 patients, ages 55 to 74.

The patients were given instructions for seven drugs to be taken over 24 hours, and told to create the simplest schedule. The simplest was four times a day. But Dr. Wolf says fewer than 15 percent got it right.

``That could be one of the most challenging things for people is to figure out not only when to take your medicine but how can I take all of my medicine in the most efficient manner to support adherence.’’ (8 seconds)

The study in Archives of Internal Medicine was supported by the National Institutes of Health.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2011
Release #11-204 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
75 Drownings and Near-Drownings in 15 Weeks
Pool Safely PSAs Urge Parents to Watch Children At All Times Around Pools and Spas This Summer
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11204.html
WASHINGTON, D.C. - With the summer swimming season just around the corner, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s
(CPSC) Pool Safely: Simple Steps Save Lives campaign is releasing its 2011 television and radio public service
announcements (PSAs) highlighting various water safety steps that can be taken to save a life. In the first few months of
2011, there have been 37 drownings and 38 near-drowning incidents reported by the media across America. Developed with the
campaign’s national partners the American Red Cross and the Y, the PSAs are being released nationally today urging parents
and children to adopt as many safety steps as possible in and around pools and spas. The Pool Safely campaign is the
federal government’s first-of-its-kind national public education effort to reduce child drownings and near-drownings in
swimming pools and spas.

“As the summer swimming season approaches, our message to parents and caregivers is simple: stay safe in and around pools
and spas by practicing as many safety steps as possible. This includes staying close to children at all times, knowing
water safety skills like CPR, and ensuring anti-entrapment drain covers are installed in all pools and spas,” said Inez
Tenenbaum, Chairman of the CPSC.

The PSAs introduce four families and their stories about the simple steps that save lives: door alarms, knowledge of CPR,
fencing around pools and spas and safety drain covers in pools and spas. The radio PSAs promote the importance of swimming
lessons as a simple step that saves lives.

“So many of the drowning and near-drowning incidents that happen every year are preventable and every drowning and
near-drowning is a terrible tragedy.”concluded Tenenbaum.

CPSC Chairman Tenenbaum delivered a keynote speech at the National Drowning Prevention Symposium in Colorado Springs,
Colorado last week. Her address at the nation’s premiere water safety and drowning prevention conference focused on CPSC’s
role in preventing drowning, the Pool Safely campaign and its efforts to encourage compliance with the Virginia Graeme
Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, which mandated a national public education campaign about drowning and entrapment prevention. Tenenbaum also provided an update on the campaign and efforts to sustain drowning prevention advocacy through education, training and partnerships.

Since January 2010, the Pool Safely campaign has responded to over 600 media-reported drowning, near-drowning and
entrapment incidents. Steps such as staying close to children at all times, learning water safety skills and having the
appropriate equipment, can help families have a safer experience in and around pools and spas.

About CPSC
CPSC is an independent federal regulatory agency created by Congress in 1972 “to protect the public against unreasonable risks of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products.” The Pool Safely campaign is CPSC’s national information and education program associated with the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (P&SS Act). The Pool Safely campaign is designed to raise public awareness about drowning and entrapment prevention, support industry compliance with safety standards, and improve safety at pools and spas. The Pool Safely campaign is proud to partner with leading organizations, including Abbey's Hope, American Red Cross, Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (APSP), Infant Swimming Resource, National Aquatic Safety Company (NASCO), National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA), National Swimming Pool Foundation, Safe Kids USA, United States Swim School Association, USA Swimming Foundation, World Waterpark Association (WWA), and The YMCA of the USA. For more information, visit the website at www.PoolSafely.gov and follow the campaign on Twitter @poolsafely.