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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Tuesday, April 25, 2017
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ILOILO City – Indigent Ilonggos can now avail themselves of free medicines under President Rodrigo Duterte’s Lingap sa Masa program, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Region 6.
“Ginatawagan namon ang mga nagakinahanglan sang bulong (We are calling those who need medicines,” said Regional Director Rebecca Geamala.
Duterte, who was in San Jose, Antique on Sunday to open the Palarong Pambansa, allocated P1 billion as medicine assistance to indigent Filipinos.
According to Geamala, from this huge budget Western Visayas received P138 million.
To implement the Lingap sa Masa program, DSWD-6 entered into an agreement with the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC).
WHO CAN AVAIL OF FREE MEDICINES?
Under the Lingap guidelines, indigent Filipinos who are either confined in or receiving out-patient treatment from identified 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 working in the government; and
* beneficiaries of soldiers and police who were killed or wounded in the line of duty.
PROCESS OF AVAILMENT
The patient or his/her representative shall present the doctor’s prescription to the pharmacy of WVMC.
The pharmacy shall then issue a quotation for the needed medicines.
The patient or his/her representative shall present the quotation to the DSWD-6 social worker together with other requirements.
The social worker is situated right beside the WVMC 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 for free.
In-patients are required to submit the doctor’s prescription, certificate of indigency and valid identification card.
Geamala said 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.
As much as P75,000 worth of medications maybe covered, said Geamala.
Lingap is already implemented in other hospitals in the country – University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) in the National Capital Region (NCR); Jose B. Lingad Memorial Hospital in San Fernando City, Pampanga (Region III); Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City (Region VII); Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City; and the Davao Regional Hospital (DRH) in Tagum City (Region XI).
The implementation of Lingap is guided by Memorandum Circular No. 02 formulated by DSWD to ensure an orderly and standard utilization free medicine fund. (With a report from May Grecia-Rago, DSWD-6/PN)
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