Talisay unwraps public pharmacy

CEBU, Philippines - Instead of spending thousands of pesos on medicine from private drug stores, the Talisay City government on Monday opened its own pharmacy for its indigent constituents at the ground floor of city hall.

Mayor Johnny V. delos Reyes said the “indigent pharmacy” is where the city residents can avail of free medicine instead of from private drug stores, which the previous administration had tied up for their medical needs.

Delos Reyes said he hopes to save money with the new setup, considering that in the past, at least P200,000 per month was allocated for medicine for the indigents alone.

He said it bought the medicine from government agencies instead of from private suppliers where prices are two times or three times more expensive.

With the new setup, he said, the city will have more medicine to distribute to the indigents.

As part of his promise to provide better health care to his people, Delos Reyes opened last Monday the public pharmacy at the old office of the Land Transportation Office, located at the ground floor area of the city hall.

The process of availing of medicine would remain the same, according to Menchulyn Dagode, staff of the Talisay City Administrator’s office, wherein the patient, with his prescription and a barangay certificate (supporting that he is a bonafide resident of the village), would go to the City Social Welfare Office for evaluation, and after which he would go down one floor to the pharmacy to get his medicine.

The patient no longer has to wait in line at the private pharmacy to get the medicine he needs, Dagode said.

In a related development, Delos Reyes, also on Monday, turned over three mini ambulances to the Rural Health Units 1, 2, and 3. These will be used by the city’s 22 barangays.

The new ambulances, Delos Reyes said, will speed up the process of bringing patients to the Talisay City District Hospital, and for them to save cost, especially that the state-run hospital asks for fees for the use of its ambulance. (FREEMAN)