DSWD Sec. Taguiwalo issues guidelines on P1-B medicine assistance

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The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) finally released guidelines how to avail the free medicines in order to lessen the burden of the poor Filipinos.

President Rodrigo Duterte recently announced the P1 billion budget allocated for DWSD free medicines.

According to DSWD, they are going to prioritize families or individuals who are indigent, vulnerable, disadvantaged or those in the informal sector and poorly based on the DSWD Listahanan; government employees and contract of services workers; and those who are facing crisis situations as determined by DSWD social workers.

Taguiwalo said that Regions 3, 6, 7, 11, and National Capital Region have been assembled to give drug help to poverty-stricken patients.
First thing is, the individual should submit to the closest DSWD-Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU).

Here’s the requirements needed:

• An Original or certified true copy of documents.

• Photocopy documents certified by a CIU social worker. (includes the clinical abstract/medical certificate with full name, signature, and license number of the attending physician. This should not issue more than 3 months).

• Doctor’s prescription with date and name of the patient, and signed by the attending physician with license number indicated).

• Barangay certificate of indigence or indigent card issued by the medical social service of the hospital.

• Any valid ID of the client.

The DSWD said that they can only avail it once within 3 months.

“If the prescription costs P5,000 or less, confirmation by the doctor or his/her duly certified representative of the veracity of the prescription is sufficient for the DSWD to provide the assistance,” Taguiwalo explained.

For the medicine assistance worth of P5,000, there will be a social case study needed as a supporting document for assistance more than P5,000. But the one who will prepare it is a registered social worker.

Moreover, Sec. Taguiwalo said that the DSWD will enter into an agreement with the following regional hospitals namely, the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital in Manila; Jose B. Lingad General Hospital in San Fernando, Pampanga; Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo; Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City; and Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City; and Davao Regional Hospital in Tagum City.

Also, Taguiwalo clarified that the assistance received by the patients is not in cash but a referral letter to be given to its partner drugstores and hospital pharmacies for the purchase of medicines.

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