PEOPLE who have less in life will soon have more in medicine.
The House Committee on Health has approved a substitute bill, which seeks to establish a free basic medicine-assistance program to address the health needs of the marginalized sectors, such as the poor, malnourished, the elderly, women, children and the disabled.
The unnumbered substitute bill to House Bill Nos. 104, 233, 504, 1505 and 1968 authored by Reps. Angelina “Helen” DL Tan, MD (Fourth District, Quezon), Rodante D. Marcoleta (Party-list, Sagip), Victor A. Yap (Second District, Tarlac), Gary C. Alejano (Party-list, Magdalo) and Estrellita B. Suansing (First District, Nueva Ecija), respectively, aims to promote optimal health and well-being of every Filipino through improved access to medicines.
Tan, panel chairman, said the bill is part of the important measures aligned with the administration’s health agenda of bringing health services closer to the people.
“Based on the health agenda of our administration, it is very important that the Department of Health (DOH) should focus on providing the most basic needs of our constituencies,” Tan said. She added that the bill was approved by the House on third and final reading during the 16th Congress.
Suansing said a huge faction of the population is in need of health-care services, especially those who are marginalized and underprivileged.
“It is quite disheartening to note that, in our country, the poor can hardly afford the exorbitant costs of medicines,” said Suansing, chairman of the House Committee on Ecology.
Suansing said as legislators, “we are mandated to protect the interest of our respective constituents and ensure that government support trickles down to all the communities throughout the country to benefit our countrymen.”
The bill provides that the Free Basic Medicine Assistance Program, or the “Libreng Gamot Program” shall be administered by the DOH through government district hospitals, local health units and barangay health centers in all cities and municipalities, in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The Libreng Gamot Program shall be restricted to qualified poor recipients as certified by the barangay and the DSWD officials.
The measure further states the free basic medicines shall be made available in all government district hospitals, barangay health centers and local health units.
During the deliberation of the bill, Rep. Romeo M. Acop (Second District, Antipolo City) voiced out his concerns regarding the amount of funds involved insofar as the bill is concerned.
“How much funds will be involved insofar as this program is concerned and would the DOH accept the fact that they will be responsible in providing free basic medicines in all government facilities?” asked Acop, chairman of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety. He said that, under the bill, the amount to be used will be charged against the appropriations of the DOH.
Section 7 of the bill states, “The amount needed for the initial implementation of this Act shall be charged against the appropriations for the DOH. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.”
Tan said the free-medicine assistance program is actually a program of the DOH and what they are doing is to institutionalize it.
Assistant Secretary of Health Dr. Francia Laxamana said that, currently, the DOH has a medical-assistance program, both from the central office and also to the regional offices.
She said the DOH has expanded the amounts that have been downloaded to regional offices for the medical-assistance programs.
“We have proposed in the Pagcor [Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.] budget an additional P500 million for the medicines in the rural health units,” Laxamana said, adding that they are waiting for the money from Pagcor, which she believes will be approved as Pagcor has increased again the budget of the DOH.
Laxamana assured Acop that in terms of implementation, the DOH has already developed guidelines under the regional health offices in providing assistance to the patients.
“We developed certain criteria for patients who are really poor and they will get 100-percent subsistence from our department in terms of medicine allocations,” she said. To the issue raised by Acop that there is not enough free basic medicines needed by his constituents in his district, Laxamana said the DOH is increasing its budget for the free medicines that will be available.
She said based in her previous experiences, there is a lack of medicine because even those who can pay wanted to avail themselves of the free medicine.
“We are putting a criteria that only the poorest of the poor will be able to avail themselves of the 100- percent free medicines from our district hospitals and health centers,” Laxamana said.
Rep. Rogelio J. Espina (Lone District, Biliran) asked Laxamana if the DOH will also provide medicine assistance to provincial hospitals.
Laxamana said regardless if it is a provincial hospital or a local government hospital, the DOH will provide free medicine for as long as it is for the poorest of the poor. PNA
She said the DOH will be identifying from the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR) the poorest of the poor in all localities and the basis will be the NHTS survey. The NHTS-PR or “Listahan” as defined in the DSWD website is an information management system that identifies who and where the poor are in the country.
The system makes available to national government agencies and other social protection stakeholders a database of poor families as reference in identifying potential beneficiaries of social protection programs.