Health advocates on Wednesday urged the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate and preventively suspend new Health Secretary Jose “Brix” Pujalte Jr. over his alleged freezing of the procurement of tuberculosis (TB) commodities worth ₱3.225 billion.

The “Concerned Health Advocates for the Prevention and Control of Tuberculosis” filed a complaint against Pujalte, accusing him of grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, according to a report by RH Val Gonzales.

According to the complaint filed on July 24, Pujalte issued a Department of Health (DOH) memorandum ordering the halt of all TB commodity procurement activities for calendar year 2026, including the purchase of adult anti-TB medicines.

The health advocates warned that the directive could lead to shortages and delays in the delivery of TB medicines nationwide.

They cited the country’s TB medicine supply chain, which they said takes around six to seven months, and expressed concern that the procurement freeze could result in a widespread shortage of essential drugs in health facilities.

The group also claimed, based on information from alleged whistleblowers, that the procurement process was intentionally slowed down to favor a prospective private supplier.

They warned that delays in TB treatment could contribute to the rise of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), which are more difficult and costly to treat.

The complainants urged the Ombudsman to place Pujalte under preventive suspension while the investigation is ongoing and to file appropriate charges before the Sandiganbayan if warranted.

As of posting, Pujalte has yet to issue a response regarding the complaint filed against him.