LUBAO, Pampanga—beneficiaries of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s free medicine assistance program for indigents in Central Luzon received their share yesterday, totaling about P108 million.
The funds are exclusive for the use of families or individuals who are among the indigent and disadvantaged sectors, Governor Lilia Pineda said. This was announced during the sectoral committee meeting on social development of the Regional Development Council held at the Pradera Verde, barangay Prado Songco here.
The committee, chaired by Pineda, said district hospitals can also avail of the funds.
Gemma Cabuya, regional director of the Department of Social Welfare Development Central Luzon, said the funds will be used exclusively for prescription medicines of the beneficiaries.
Cabuya stressed the funds are solely for the needed prescription medicine of the patients in the seven provinces of the region.
She said other expenses of indigent patients such as laboratory and other services are not covered by the funds, as the Department of Health has an existing program for this purpose.
Recipients of the funds are those confined at the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital in the City of San Fernando, where most of the indigent rush for treatments.
Personnel of the department, mostly social workers, are stationed in the hospitals to assist patients on how to avail of the funds, she said.
Cabuya said she is requesting the DSWD central office to expand the program to include other sectors in the area.
The P108 million is part of the President’s P 1 billion fund for free medical program aimed to help indigent people to improve their health condition.
Aside from Region III, other beneficiaries are Regions VI, VII ,XI, XII, and the National Capital Region (NCR).