Makati gov’t increases free medicines budget to P900M

Ground Floor of the Makati City Hall Building II. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

The Makati City government has allotted P900 million for its free medicines program this year, a 50-percent increase from last year’s budget of P600 million.

Mayor Abby Binay asked the City Council to increase the budget for the Makati Health Plus program, better known as Yellow Card, to ensure that it would be sustained with adequate funds throughout the year.

“We want our beloved citizens to worry less about expenses for maintenance medicines so they could enjoy a better quality of life,” Binay said on Thursday.

The budget increase provided under City Ordinance No. 2017-059 was approved by the City Council last April 26.

In July, the Makati Action Center made door-to-door deliveries of free maintenance medicines and vitamins worth P7.2 million to some 4,099 senior citizens age 70 and above and bed-ridden beneficiaries identified by the Makati Health Department to be qualified for the special service.

According to MHD records, there are 232,672 Yellow Card beneficiaries to date. These include 42,335 senior citizens and 171 persons with disabilities, while the rest are other city residents, city government employees, and some national government workers based in Makati.

The program covers medicines for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardio vascular diseases, dyslipidemia, enlarged prostate, gout, cough and colds, sexually transmitted infections, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, seizure disorder, allergy, ulcer,
vertigo and gastrointestinal problems, among others.

Free multivitamins for children, adults and pregnant patients, as well as oral and injectable contraceptives, are also provided.

The authorized distributor is Planet Drugstore with eight outlets to cater to their respective clusters. To avail of the free medicine, registered members must present a valid prescription from the Ospital ng Makati, Makati City Hall Employees’ Clinic, or any barangay health centers in the city.

Yellow Card beneficiaries also enjoy free outpatient consultations and subsidized hospitalization for emergency and in-patient care at the city-run hospital. JPV