Assigned social workers assess patients at the VSMMC for the Libreng Gamot para sa Masa.
contributed photo
The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD-7) is encouraging indigent patients who are confined in or receiving outpatient treatment from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City to avail the free medicines through the Libreng Gamot Para sa Masa or Lingap sa Masa.
As of May 12, a total of 446 indigent patients already availed the free medicine assistance program.
“We encourage indigent inpatient or outpatient of VSMMC to avail this program, which is funded under President Duterte’s socio-civic projects funds and being implemented by the DSWD,” said Regional Director Ma. Evelyn B. Macapobre.
“We ask media organizations or anyone to help us disseminate this information so that we can help more indigent patients,” Macapobre added.
The DSWD-7 has assigned a social worker at the VSMMC so that patients needing prescription medicines will be attended immediately and provided with the needed medicines.
A guarantee letter will be issued by DSWD to the partner drug store for the purchase of medicines.
Those who want to avail of the program should comply with the following requirements: any valid ID of the patient; valid ID of the representative and a written authorization signed by the patient; doctor’s prescription issued not later than three months; and proof of indigency from the barangay or certification issued by the medical social service of an identified hospital.
The Lingap sa Masa medicine assistance program is in response to President Duterte’s directive to give indigent Filipinos access to free medicines to help them recover from their illnesses. /PR