The Bacolod City Council has approved a resolution calling on the City Health Office, through the Office of Mayor Greg Gasataya, to allocate additional funds for the City Health Pharmacy and extend the same to the various Barangay Health Centers.
The measure aims to guarantee the purchase and free distribution of commonly used and maintenance medicines for indigents and the city’s priority sectors, specifically the unemployed, senior citizens, persons with disability (PWD), pregnant women, children, fisherfolks, and laborers, Bacolod Councilor Caesar Distrito said on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
Authored by Distrito, the resolution underscores the constitutional duty of the State to promote and protect the right to health of every citizen, as enshrined in Section 15, Article II of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, and reiterates the mandate of Republic Act No. 7160 (Local Government Code of 1991) assigning cities the responsibility to deliver essential health services to their constituents.
Distrito said that the City Health Pharmacy currently provides free medicines to indigent patients, but that existing funds and supplies are often inadequate to meet the increasing demand for maintenance and essential drugs, particularly among patients suffering from chronic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes.
“The right to health must be made real and tangible to every Bacolodnon, especially those who cannot afford their daily maintenance medicines. This resolution seeks to strengthen the city’s health delivery system by ensuring that free medicines are not only available at the City Health Pharmacy but also in every barangay health center,” Distrito said.
The measure also emphasizes that these medicines must be distributed strictly free of charge and not for sale, to ensure that assistance directly reaches those most in need. By extending the allocation to barangay health centers, the program will decentralize access to essential medicines, making them more accessible to residents in distant communities.*