#8203;considering the governing

[phgq]

NegOr health officials warn public from buying medicines online

#PHinfo: NegOr health officials warn public from buying medicines online

FDA Visayas Cluster Regulating Officer Vicky Sibala (L) and DOH Negros Oriental Provincial Officer Dr. Socrates Villamor (center) discuss the government's campaign against counterfeit medicines during a PIA-IATF-EID Straight from the Source Press Briefing held Nov. 19, 2020 at the BOM Office, Perdices Coliseum (KAT/PIA7-NegOr)

DUMAGUETE CITY, Nov. 20 (PIA) -- Health officials in Negros Oriental cautioned the public from buying medicines online, stressing that people should only purchase their medicines in legitimate pharmacies and drug stores.

This reminder came as the country observes National Consciousness Week against Counterfeit Medicines (NCWM) this third week of November.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Visayas Cluster Regulation Officer Vicky Sibala noted a possibility of consumers receiving counterfeit medicine when ordering online.

Sibala explained that although counterfeit medicines may not have an effect on the body, it could lead to the worsening of a person’s illness.

“Some products ang ilang content is starch (which is) wala siya effect. Instead, (if) hypertensive siya, dili mo-lower imo blood pressure. That’s dangerous (In some products, most of their content is starch and it does not have any effect. Instead of treating hypertension, your blood pressure will not be treated. That’s dangerous),” she said.

Department of Health (DOH) Provincial Officer Dr. Socrates Villamor also added that taking counterfeit medicines may lead to other complications since it does not contribute to the curing of the disease.

“Kung paracetamol, it is found out na iya active ingredient is less than 80 percent gi-consider man siya as counterfeit, ang iya effect dili siya makapa-usos sa hilanat. Practically wala siya effect. Kaning sa mga antibiotic, ang mahitabo ana mo-progress imong sakit. Mo-progress imo infection. It could be (na) ma-worsen or (lead to) other complication (In the case of paracetamol, if the active ingredient is already less than 80 percent we consider that as counterfeit already. This will not help you recover from flu. Practically it has no effect. In the case of antibiotics, it does not treat the infection, it could lead to the worsening of your condition or other complications),” Villamor explained.

Villamor and Sibala said that paracetamol, antibiotics, anti-diabetic, and anti-hypertensive medicines are commonly counterfeited.

Based on Republic Act 8203, a drug is considered counterfeit if it has the wrong ingredients, does not contain active ingredients, the amount of ingredients is below 80 percent, and has fake packaging.

Villamor also noted that if a medicine is imported from other country, it is also considered counterfeit if it is not approved by FDA.

Although it takes further verification and testing at the FDA laboratory before the agency declares a medicine counterfeit, Sibala said there are signs that could indicate if a drug is fake.

She advised the public to look at the shape of the medicine and check if it is a proper circle or oval.

If it does not look a perfect circle or oval, then it could be a counterfeited drug.

Sibala also urged consumers to read the packaging and check on the manufacturer label, expiry date, and lot number.

The public is encouraged to file a formal complaint before the FDA if they notice something dubious in the details encoded in a medicine’s packaging.

FDA will send samples to their Center for Drug laboratory for confirmatory tests.

In case the medicine was imported abroad and the purchase was made online, Sibala said the Bureau of Customs prohibis the entry of imported medicines for personal use in bulk as recipients should only have medicines good for one month’s supply.

On this, she emphasized the risk that the money used to buy this medicines will be forfeited since the items could not be delivered to their respective places.

Aside from this, there might also be other risks associated in consuming the item especially if it is not registered with the FDA.

“Refrain from ordering sa online kay naa mga orders ninyo na dili i-serve sa Bureau of Customs so ang inyong kwarta masayang ra kay dili siya fortfeited kay dili siya i-allow sa customs na i-deliver sa inyo kay bulk inyo pinalit. Ug makapalit pod mo ug minimum ug ma-serve sa inyo na that is dangerous to your health kay dili mo sure kung unsa na siya na produkto kay unregistered man siya (Please refrain from ordering online. In case you bought medicines in bulk, the Bureau of Customs won’t allow it to be delivered in your homes. Your money will go to waste since the items will be forfeited. Meanwhile, if ever you were able to purchase in minimum and was able to receive it, it could still be dangerous for your health because you are not sure what it is and because it is unregistered),” Sibala pointed out.

On the other hand, Sibala reported that so far, the FDA noticed there are no counterfeit medicines circulating in Negros Oriental. (ral/PIA7-Negros Oriental)

***

References:

* Philippine Information Agency. "NegOr health officials warn public from buying medicines online." Philippine Information Agency. https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1059623 (accessed November 21, 2020 at 04:18PM UTC+08).

* Philippine Infornation Agency. "NegOr health officials warn public from buying medicines online." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1059623 (archived).

[usaadmission]

College Tuition Fees: In-State And Out Of State Fees In The United States

There are many factors to be considered if you are planning to attend college. Cost is one of the most important factors apart from several other factors.  There are many options that students can opt for in considering cost as higher studies is expensive in the United States. 

Cost in Colleges and universities in the US varies in terms of its nature i.e. public and private. Public colleges and universities typically have less cost than private colleges and universities. Even within public colleges and universities, there is a significant variation in cost between residents who reside in the states and residents who resides outside the states.

Public colleges and universities typically charge differentiated tuition fees whereas private colleges and universities charge the same tuition fee for everyone irrespective of where you come from be it local or international students.

 So the cost in public colleges and universities is typically divided into 2 types:

In state tuition fee and

Out of state tuition fee

What do you mean by in state tuition fee and out of state tuition fee?

Universities in the United States are not controlled and funded by the federal government but rather by different states. Each states funds its own public institutions. The money in fact comes from the state residents after paying taxes that is why the cost is subsidized for the state residents.

So the cost of tuition fees that is paid by students in their residence is called in state and the cost of tuition fees that is paid by students coming from other states including international students is out state.

Is there a chance of receiving in state tuition?

To qualify for in state tuition you need to be staying in the state for at least 1-2 years before enrolling in a public university. Or if your relative has properties in the state that you are wishing to apply than it is beneficial to have good connections or bonding with your relatives so that you can claim to your school about your in state residence.

Or you could invest in a residence if you have the capability while you are still a sophomore. So by the time you become a freshman, you can have proof of your in-state residence.

However, to prove your residency just an address of the state won’t do. You need to show proof to your institute of some documents like employment in state, State driver’s license, State voter/car registration, State library card, bank account in state etc.

If you can convince your institute by showing these documents you may have a chance in your qualification but the process is too strenuous. So the best move would be that before being a freshman if you could move into that state permanently.

That way you will be saying a lot of money every year and indeed be the best financial decisions that you will be taking.

Today we will be looking at some of the popular states for education in the United States and compare the average college/university tuition fees between in state and out of state fees in these states for the year in 2020:

Average in-state and out of state tuition fees at a public institution in various states of America

  StateAverage Tuition fees At public institutionDifference in priceIn state Out of stateAlaska$7,293$18,608$11315Arkansas$4,877$7,743$2866California$3,088$11,992$8904Florida$3,851$13,494$9643Illinois$5,404$11,265$5861Kentucky$6,331$17,213$10882Louisiana$6,517$12,600$6083Massachusetts$8,579$16,782$8203Michigan$6,948$12,168$5220Minnesota$8,231$8,783$552North Carolina$3,356$10,842$7486New jersey$8,595$14,114$5519New Mexico$3,246$6,918$3672New York$7,011$14,183$7172Ohio$6,589$13,765$7176Pennsylvania$11,495$18,846$7351Tennessee$6,538$19,221$12683Texas$4,833$10,530$5697Vermont$13,128$28,190$15062Washington$5,472$11,054$5582Wisconsin$6,254$11,566$5312Average tuition fee (Total)$6,072$13,129  $7057

Key points

So from the above list we can see that:

The average cost of in state tuition fee at public universities is $6072.

 The average cost of out of state tuition fee at public universities is $13,129.

The average difference in cost is $7057.

We can see from above that Vermont is the state with highest tuition fees with both in state as $13,128 and out of state as $28,190 whereas California has the lowest tuition in state tuition fees of $3,088 and New Mexico has the lowest out of state tuition fees of $6,918.

Apart from that it was also found that Pennsylvania has the highest public in state graduation tuition fee of $18,195 and Hawaii accounts for the highest public out of state tuition fee of $32,655.

On the other hand, Delaware accounts for the lowest public in state graduation tuition fee of $5,510 and North Dakota has the lowest public out of state graduation tuition fee of $10,784.

Conclusion

The cost education keeps increasing every year. What it was a year ago is not the same now and hence what the costs looks like now won’t be the same in the year 2021. So while deciding for your higher education you have to consider a lot of aspects and ask yourself questions like in which university do want to study?

Do you want to study in a public or private university? If it is public, are you deciding to study in your state or in a different state?  And if it is private how are you going to fund your education? Will you pay by yourself or do you have a sponsor or have you received any scholarships or grants? By asking these questions you can determine your cost analysis.

So what should you actually choose, in-state or out of state?

While searching for colleges, you should always choose what matches your best fit rather than the location. Some of the world’s best colleges and universities are in fact located in the United States of America, so your home state may not have the best institution and you may need to move to some other states to pursue your higher education.  But you can always find a way not to burn a hole in your pocket and choose an institution that will help you to weave your dreams and bring the best out of you.

from USA Admission – Study in USA , F1 Visa, Opt https://usaadmission.com/college-tuition-fees-in-state-and-out-of-state-fees-in-the-united-states/