More than half a million residents have benefited from the Free Medicines for the Masses program of the city government of Makati from January to October this year.
Mayor Abigail Binay said some 572,357 residents got the free maintenance medicines, vitamins, pharmaceutical products and other health benefits from the program which is in line with the Makati Health Plus or Yellow Card project.
This figure, she added, was 14.47 percent higher than last year’s number of patients during the same period, which was 499,986.
“Medicines are important in addressing health problems and improving the quality of life of our people. Our free medicine program aims to reduce household expenditures of our dear Makatizens, especially those with family members who continuously take medications,” said Binay.
The city chief executive said her administration spent P936 million in the past 10 months for its drug subsidy program to help defray the cost of maintenance medicines and supplements of active Yellow Cardholders and their qualified dependents. These include Ospital ng Makati patients, city government employees, selected Makati-based national government personnel, and residents from the city’s 33 barangays.
The city government paid P716 million for the medications of its beneficiaries from Jan. 1 to Oct. 31, 2018.
City Health Department chief Dr. Bernard Sese said the program covers medicines and pharmaceutical products for hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, dyslipidemia, enlarged prostate, gout, cough and colds, sexually transmitted infections, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, seizure disorder, allergy, ulcer, vertigo, gastrointestinal problems, and other diseases. Free multivitamins are also given for free, as well as oral and injectable contraceptives.
For this year, Sese said the top maintenance medicines in terms of sales were Metformin for those with diabetes; Losartan for those with hypertension; Rosuvastatin, Atorvastatin, and Trimetazidine for those with cardiovascular diseases.
He said diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases are common since these are related to the way a person lives. Regular physical activity and exercise can help prevent these non-communicable or “lifestyle” diseases.
Meanwhile, the top vitamins in terms of sales were Vitamin B Complex, Ferrous Sulfate, prenatal multivitamins and minerals, and Calcium plus Vitamin D.
Under the program, senior citizens aged 70 and above receive the full dose of their monthly prescription of maintenance medicines and antibiotics. For August alone, the Makati Action Center has made door-to-door deliveries of medicines worth around P18 million to seniors who are above 70 years old and bed-ridden beneficiaries identified by the MHD.
Apart from free medicines and vitamins, Yellow Card beneficiaries enjoy free outpatient consultations and subsidized hospitalization for emergency and in-patient care at the city-run Ospital ng Makati. Primary health care is also being provided by the city’s 26 barangay health centers, while its three lying-in clinics provide subsidized services for normal deliveries.
Based on the approved 2020 budget of the city, Makati has increased the budget for its free medicines program next year to P1.27 billion to pay for the medicines of residents and City Hall employees. The project started in 2013 with an initial budget of P59 million.
Yellow Card beneficiaries may avail of free medicines from eight branches of Planet Drugstore by presenting prescriptions obtained from their respective barangay health clinics.
The outlet on the ground floor of Makati City Hall (Old Building) covers patients from the Employee’s Clinic, Social Hygiene Clinic, and Dental Clinic at City Hall. It also serves Yellow Card members from barangays Valenzuela, Sta. Cruz, Poblacion, Olympia, Guadalupe Viejo, Bel-Air, Dasmariñas, Forbes, Magallanes, San Lorenzo, and Urdaneta.
Planet Drugstore’s outlet in Carmona Health Center caters to its patients as well as those from other health centers under Cluster 2 such as Kasilawan, Tejeros, and Singkamas.
For Cluster 3, Bangkal Health Center houses the pharmacy outlet, which also caters to patients from Bangkal Lying-in Clinic, Pio del Pilar Puericulture Center, Pio del Pilar Rural Health Unit, and San Isidro Health Center.
The outlet at Palanan Health Center caters to its own patients and other health centers under Cluster 4, including barangays La Paz and San Antonio. Patients at Palanan 24/7 Primary Health Care may also go to this outlet.
The outlet at Pitogo Health Center covers patients from Cluster 5, which includes health centers of Pitogo, Guadalupe Nuevo, Cembo, Pinagkaisahan, and South Cembo, as well as Guadalupe Nuevo Lying-in Clinic.
Cluster 7 is being served by the outlet at Ospital ng Makati (OsMak) in Pembo, and covers OsMak employees and staff and Osmak outpatients, including patients seen at the Emergency Room but were not admitted, and discharged patients.
The eighth outlet is located in Rizal Health Center and caters to patients from the health centers of Rizal and Pembo.
Yellow Card members from barangay Northside who have obtained prescriptions from any of the city’s health centers may go to either Cembo or West Rembo health centers to avail themselves of free medicines, while Southside residents may go to either Pembo or Rizal health centers.