Vargas wants free medicines for poor
KEEPING true to his campaign promise, Quezon City 5th District Rep. PM Vargas has filed House Bill (HB) 2514 or the Free Medicine for the Poor Bill seeking to expand and institutionalize the government’s free medicines program for poor families.
“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.
The bill aims to expand the Libreng Gamot Para sa Masa Program (LINGAP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), launched on March 2017 in only six (6) 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” Bill mandates all government district hospitals, local health units, and barangay health centers in all cities and municipalities to provide free medicine for the poor.
In his bill, Vargas has 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.
