The Philippine Pharma Procurement Inc. (PPPI), led by its president and CEO Undersecretary Maria Blanca Kim B. Lokin, met with the top management of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) headed by president and CEO Emmanuel R. Ledesma Jr. last 14 August at the PhilHealth head office.

The meeting discussed initiatives that both corporations would collaborate on to ensure the availability of medicines for the benefit programs of PhilHealth, specifically for the Konsulta and GAMOT programs.

Konsulta or the “Konsultasyong Sulit Tama” program is a comprehensive outpatient primary care benefit package that provides capitation payments for free annual checkups, health risk screening, selected diagnostic tests and medicines.

Meanwhile, GAMOT or the “Guaranteed and Accessible Medications for Outpatient Treatment” is a stand alone out-patient program which covers select essential medicines.

The PPPI will be rolling out an improved Botika Ng Bayan to serve as the access points for medicines that are given free under the above-mentioned programs of PhilHealth. This initiative will ensure that patients who are diagnosed under the Konsulta program are assured access to the medicines they need to treat and manage their conditions.

An attached agency of the DTI, the PPPI is a subsidiary of the Philippine International Trading Corporation and an affiliate of the National Development Company. It is mandated to procure and distribute medicines and medical supplies to both government and private hospitals and other health facilities nationwide.

The PPPI’s mission is to ensure that all Filipinos have access to safe, efficacious, and affordable medicines.