Following yesterday’s signing of a  Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) on the implementation of the “Libreng Gamot para sa Masa (Lingap sa Masa),”  the free medicine assistance program of the Office of the President, indigent patients can now avail of the program from the hospital starting today.

The DSWD-Field Office National Capital Region which is tasked to implement the  program in the region has already assigned a social worker and an administrative  assistant to PGH to facilitate the provision of the assistance to indigent patients who need medicines.

Earlier in February, DSWD also signed an agreement with the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City which will provide free medicines for residents of Region VII.

DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo, who signed the MOU with PGH,  said that the Lingap sa Masa program is an initiative of President Rodrigo Duterte to respond to the needs of  poor Filipinos who can ill fford to buy medicines.  The President allocated P1 billion for medical assistance to indigent patients to be sourced from the socio-civic projects fund of the Office of the President.

“Through this program, we will be able to help Filipinos in need of prescription medicines but do not have the funds to buy them. We are thankful to Pres. Duterte for providing the funds. It is a show of great compassion for the poor, and while it is true that more needs to be done to assist poor Filipinos gain better access to health and medical services, this is a very good initiative and will go a long way towards helping many Filipinos,” Sec. Taguiwalo said. “We can make a dent in the huge number of Filipinos who are forced to go without medicine they or their loved ones need because they do not have money to buy them.”

Implementing guidelines set by the DSWD

The MOA signifies the start of the utilization and disbursement of the fund to assist the indigent patients of the PGH guided by DSWD Memorandum Circular No. 02.

Under the guidelines which have been recently released through DSWD Memorandum Circular No. 02, Lingap sa Masa will be implemented by establishing desks at identified hospitals where patients who need prescription medicines will be assessed and provided assistance via the issuance of guarantee letters for the purchase of medicines from hospital pharmacies or from partner drug stores.

Lingap sa Masa will be program distinct and separate from the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS). The DSWD’s Protective Services Bureau (PSB) under the department’s Protective Services Program will be the lead implementing office.

Who will benefit from the program?

Indigent Filipinos who are either confined in or receiving out-patient treatment from identified hospitals and who are in need of prescription medicines are the beneficiaries of Lingap sa Masa. Priority, however, will be given to the following:

1. Families or individuals who are indigent, vulnerable, or disadvantaged;
2. Those in the informal sector and poor based on the DSWD Listahanan;
3. Those who are in crisis situations based on the assessment of social workers;
4. Government employees and contract of service workers working in the government; and,
5. Beneficiaries of soldiers and police who were killed or wounded in the line of duty.

Those who want to avail of the program should provide a valid ID. If the patient has a representative, the representative should present a valid ID and a written authorization signed by the patient in favor of the representative.

Another important requirement is the doctor’s prescription which should have been issued within the last three (3) months. This should indicate the date and the name of the patient, and the document should be signed by the attending physician, with his/her license number and contact details.

Proof of indigency must also be presented, but documentary requirement showing proof is not limited to a Barangay Certificate or Certification issued by the medical social service.

Certified true copies must be certified by either the DSWD social worker assigned to the hospital; the office that issued the document; or the officer who signed the document.

Sec. Taguiwalo said,  “It is most heartbreaking to hear stories of impoverished Filipinos dying because they did not have the money to buy the medicine they needed to prolong their lives.  With Lingap sa Masa, we can help a large number of our kababayans get the medicine they need,” she said.#