Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, praised the Department of Health (DOH) and Secretary Teodoro Herbosa for issuing Administrative Order (AO) No. 2024-0017, which removes the requirement for senior citizens to present a purchase booklet to avail of the 20 percent discount on medicines under Republic Act (RA) No. 9994, also known as the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

The move aims to ease the process for seniors in accessing affordable medicines. Herbosa highlighted the department's commitment to reducing unnecessary burdens on the elderly when announcing the order.

“Napakalaking ginhawa nito para sa ating mga lolo at lola. Minsan mahirap na dalhin ang purchase booklet, pero kailangang-kailangan nila ang diskwento sa gamot. Ito ang sagot sa kanilang hinaing,” said Herbosa.

Senator Go supported the policy change, calling it timely and necessary.

“Isa itong napapanahong hakbang para masigurong naibibigay sa ating mga senior citizen ang nararapat na benepisyo ayon sa batas. Hindi dapat maging hadlang ang mga lumang requirements sa kanilang kalusugan at karapatan,” said Go.

Under the new order, senior citizens need only to present valid identification and a doctor's prescription to claim their discount. The revision eliminates previous requirements, including the use of purchase booklets for monitoring over-the-counter (OTC) medicine purchases.

Herbosa said the adjustments were needed to align DOH guidelines with RA No. 9994 and are part of a broader effort to simplify healthcare policies for vulnerable populations.

The DOH administrative order is now in effect and is expected to benefit millions of senior citizens nationwide. Drugstores and pharmacies have been instructed to implement the changes to ensure smooth transactions.

“Kapag may oportunidad na gawing mas madali ang mga sistema, gawin na natin,” Go said in closing.