LUBAO, Pampanga – The Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 3 (DSWD 3) has allotted P108 million for its medicine assistance program in the region dedicated to indigent patients admitted at Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital (JBLMRH).
DSWD 3 Director Gemma Gabuya disclosed this during the Regional Development Council (RDC-3) Sectoral Committee on Social Development (SCSD) meeting held at Pradera Verde, Prado Siongco this town on Tuesday.
Gabuya said the allocation is part of the P1 billion fund that Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte earmarked for the free medical assistance in Regions III, VI, VII, XI and the National Capital Region (NCR).
The regional director stressed that the program is solely for the needed prescription medicines of the patients.
“The seven provinces of the region will benefit from it but the program is solely for the needed medicines of the patients. Laboratory and other services in the hospital are not included because the DOH has a separate program for that,” she said.
Gabuya added that there are DSWD personnel assigned in JBLMRH, in addition to the hospital’s social workers, to assist the patients who can avail of the said program.
The regional director pointed out that the DSWD prioritizes families or individuals who are indigent, vulnerable, disadvantaged or those in the informal sector; government employees and contract of services workers; and those who are facing crisis situations as determined by DSWD social workers as beneficiaries of the program.
According to Gabuya, some P25M of the total amount was dispensed since the release of the funds in March.
Gov. Lilia ‘Nanay’ Pineda, who chairs the SCSD, said the funds can also be distributed in the provincial hospitals in the region.
Gabuya said the regional office already made a request to the DSWD central office for the expansion of the medicine assistance fund.
LIEZEL CAYANAN
