[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Duterte fund for free medicines underutilized’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Thursday, May 11, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
ILOILO City – President Rodrigo Duterte’s Lingap sa Masa free medicines program allotted P138 million for Western Visayas’ poor. But where are these intended beneficiaries?
The fund’s utilization remains low since late last month when the program was announced, according to May Grecia-Rago, regional information officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
DSWD is implementing the Lingap sa Masa program in partnership with the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC).
“We call on the Ilonggos to avail themselves of free medicines, particularly the poor confined at WVMC,” said Rago.
The fund for the Lingap sa Masa came from the Presidential Social Fund.
The program can cover up to P75,000 worth of prescription medicines that a hospitalized patient needs, and this is on top of what the patient can avail himself from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), said Rago.
But even WVMC outpatients can avail themselves of free medicines through Lingap sa Masa, too, she stressed.
Under the Lingap sa Masa guidelines, indigent Filipinos who are either confined in or receiving out-patient treatment from identified government hospitals and who are in need of prescription medicines are qualified as beneficiaries.
Priority, however, will be given to the following:
* families or individuals who are indigent, vulnerable or disadvantaged
* those in the informal sector and poor based on the DSWD Listahanan
* those who are in crisis situations based on the assessment of social workers
* government employees and contract of service workers in government; and
* beneficiaries of soldiers and police who were killed or wounded in the line of duty.
In WVMC, the patient or his/her representative shall present the doctor’s prescription to the hospital pharmacy.
The pharmacy shall then issue a quotation for the needed medicines.
The patient or his/her representative shall present the quotation and other requirements to the DSWD social worker assigned at WVMC (the social worker is right beside the hospital pharmacy in the Lingap sa Masa desk).
The DSWD social worker shall then assess the case. If eligible, a DSWD Lingap sa Masa Guarantee Letter (GL) which includes the amount of the needed medicines will be issued to the patient so that the patient can get the medicines at the WVMC pharmacy for free.
In-patients are required to submit the doctor’s prescription, certificate of indigency and valid identification card.
Meanwhile, those living in far areas may get their certificate of indigency from the hospital’s Social Service Office and do not have to go to their barangays.
To those in the out-patient (those who have consulted with the out-patient department or OPD of WVMC), the same requirements apply./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
