A first-term legislator has appealed to his colleagues to prioritize the passage of his bill mandating the grant of free medicines to indigent families.
Quezon City Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas filed House Bill 2514 or the Free Medicine for the Poor Bill, stressing that “public health remains a primary concern amid the pandemic.”
“To a poor Filipino family, free prescription drugs can save a life especially in dealing with otherwise curable and preventable diseases,” Vargas said.
In his bill, Vargas cited a World Health Organization study which observed that the major causes of death in low-income countries can be treated effectively with simple essential medicines.
HB 2514 aims to expand the Libreng Gamot Para sa Masa Program (LINGAP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), launched in March 2017 initially covering only six hospitals nationwide to provide indigent patients free access to prescription medicines.
As of June 2018, the program has covered 29 hospitals nationwide and has served 64, 778 indigent patients.
“We hope more Filipinos will benefit from this important public health program. Filipino families, especially the poor, deserve to live a life where simple curable diseases cannot be hindrance to opportunities ahead of them,” Vargas added.
The “Free Medicines for the Poor” measure mandates all government district hospitals, local health units, and barangay health centers in all cities and municipalities to provide free medicine for the poor.
