MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Pharma Procurement Inc. (PPI) and the Social Security System (SSS) led the grand opening of PPI’s ‘Pambansang Botika Plus’ program at SSS Diliman in Quezon City on Sept. 29.
PPI President and CEO Maria Blanca Kim Lokin said the program was designed as a one-stop shop where people could access affordable medicines and healthcare services.
Lokin said Pambansang Botika Plus would also launch a mobile medicine-delivery network in partnership with local government units to bring medicines directly to communities and households that have difficulty traveling to outlets.
“This is the last-mile delivery that we want to bring you,” the PPI chief executive said.
She said the program was being implemented with PhilHealth, private healthcare providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and SSS.
Presidential Adviser for Poverty Alleviation Larry Gadon, the guest speaker, hailed Lokin and PPI for partnering with other agencies, specifically SSS, to further expand access to healthcare programs.
He cited improvements in government hospitals under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Gadon said Filipinos confined in Department of Health (DOH)-owned and operated hospitals could avail themselves of zero billing without securing a guarantee letter from lawmakers of government officials.
He also cited the installation of a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner at the Bataan General Hospital.
Gadon said a PET scan could cost about P150,000, although discounted rates in some private facilities could bring the cost down to around P70,000.
“At Bataan General Hospital, the PET scan is free,” he said, adding that the facility could serve patients from Bulacan, Pampanga and Metro Manila.
He said improvements in public hospitals had also made equipment such as computed tomography scanners more widely available.
The Palace official also pointed to the government's Yaman ng Kalusugan (YAKAP) program implemented by PhilHealth, saying the healthcare system should focus not only on treating illnesses but also on prevention.
YAKAP is PhilHealth's expanded primary care program, which provides consultations, selected diagnostic and laboratory services, medicines and preventive care to registered beneficiaries, according to PhilHealth Vice President Walter Bacareza, who also graced the event.
SSS president and CEO Robert Joseph de Claro said the Diliman outlet would serve as a model for similar outlets that SSS aims to establish in other branches.
The outlet will offer generic medicines, essential vaccines and primary care services, while also providing consultation and diagnostic services as a PhilHealth YAKAP service provider, he said.
The SSS chief executive stressed that the facility would not be limited to SSS members and pensioners.
“It is open to all citizens who can come here to avail themselves of the YAKAP-Pambansang Botika Plus program,” he said.