Dads want clear rules on free meds

The Cebu City Council has directed the office responsible for the implementation of the Long Life Medical Assistance Program (LLMAP) to formulate guidelines for the beneficiaries of the city government's free medicine program.

The council found out that the city government has been distributing free medicines daily, not only to the indigents but also to those who can afford buying medicines.

LLMAP head Peter Visitacion clarified though that there were times they failed to distribute medicines on a daily basis due to lack of funds.

“Makuwangan gyod among medicines mao nga dili kita kahatag everyday. We are expanding pud maong nagkadaghan na atong patients,” he said.

He said the program's beneficiaries now ballooned to 50,000.

LLMAP is the city's health promotion program aiming to provide maintenance medicines for illnesses including but not limited to hypertension, diabetes and arthritis. It was initially designed for 30,000 recipients only.

For this year, the council approved P19 million budget under the first Supplemental Budget (SB-1) for the purchase of medicines and for the wages of out-of-school youth who deliver the medicines.

In fact, Visitacion said the Department of Health and private companies are giving free medicines to LLMAP to sustain the project.

But Councilor Margarita Osmeña, chairwoman of the council's committee on budget, said there should be a guideline as to who will qualify to get the free medicines.

“Not for anything, I shouldn't be given free medicines because I have a job. I mean we should prioritize those who need it better,” she said.

Visitacion said his office has initially proposed a P24 million budget for next year's operations.

But he said they need P100 million for the whole 2018, considering also the planned program expansion.

While saying that it is one of the “good” programs of the current administration, Osmeña said, LLMAP should not be expanded owing to limited resources.

Instead, she said the program should be focused on the existing beneficiaries to ensure that they will regularly get their maintenance medicines.

“This is a good program but it should be sustainable. Fewer people will be hospitalized because they have the long life (free medicines),” she said during yesterday's budget hearing.

Osmeña, however, said it worries her because patients or beneficiaries might be disappointed because the rate of project's expansion is rapid but the funding is insufficient.

Councilor Eugenio Gabuya, Jr. agreed with Osmeña, saying there should be a guideline to be followed for the implementation of the program.

The proposed P396 million budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Services covers LLMAP and the City Hospitalization Assistance and Medicines Program.