Daily Tribune
FILE: Senior citizens queue to avail of the free medical mission at the Angel Santos Covered court in Marikina last 18 March 2023. The event was spearheaded by Marikina Valley Society and Roverscout section Metro Manila. Philippine Institute for Development Studies said private out-of-pocket spending is still almost half of the total health spending in the country and added that the widespread use of OOP is being discouraged by the World Health Organization as it limits access to health services and increases risk of incurring high health expenditure that could push more people into poverty. |📸 Analy Labor.
Five members of the House of Representatives filed a bill on Monday seeking to grant senior citizens a P1,000 monthly maintenance medication allowance.
House Bill 9569 aims to provide a monthly stipend of P1,000 to senior citizens to assist them in covering the costs of their essential medication.
The proponents of the bill, ACT-CIS Partylist Reps. Erwin Tulfo, Jocelyn Tulfo, and Edvic Yap, and Benguet Rep. Eric Yap, and Quezon City Rep. Ralph Tulfo posit that the measure responds to a pressing concern affecting elders, particularly those grappling with chronic or long-term medical conditions.
"By offering a monthly stipend of P1,000 for maintenance medications, this bill is designed to improve the quality of life of our senior citizens and ease the financial constraints they encounter, making it more feasible for them to access the medications they require," the bill read.
Chronic illnesses, proponents said, often require regular and costly treatments, imposing a substantial burden on seniors.
The legislation recognizes the financial strain associated with obtaining essential medications for the elderly and aims to mitigate the same through financial aid.
"It acknowledges that managing chronic diseases should not be compromised due to economic limitations," the bill added.
Registered Filipino senior citizens are eligible to receive monthly medication support. Recipients will be given a Monthly Maintenance Medication Support Card.
Qualified senior citizens may submit an application to the Department of Health or its designated agency, along with a valid prescription for maintenance medications issued by a licensed medical practitioner within six months from the date of application.
The Monthly Maintenance Medication Support will be used exclusively to purchase prescribed maintenance medications, including but not limited to medicines for chronic illnesses, vitamins, and supplements, from all public or private pharmaceutical establishments upon presenting a prescription validly issued within the last six months from the date of purchase.
The Philippine Statistics Authority reported a twofold increase in Filipinos aged 60 years and above, reaching 9.22 million in 2022 compared to a mere 4.6 million in 2000.
