BACOLOD City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) here has approved a resolution urging the City Health Office (CHO), through the Office of the City Mayor, to allocate additional funds for the City Health Pharmacy and extend the same support to various barangay health centers.
The measure seeks to ensure the continuous purchase and free distribution of commonly used and maintenance medicines for indigent residents and priority sectors, including the unemployed, senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), pregnant women, children, fisherfolk, and ordinary laborers.
The resolution underscores the constitutional duty of the State to promote and protect the right to health of every citizen, as provided under Section 15, Article II of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. It also reiterates the mandate of Republic Act No. 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991, which tasks cities with the responsibility to deliver essential health services to their constituents.
Councilor Caesar Distrito, author of the measure, noted that while the City Health Pharmacy already provides free medicines to indigent patients, existing funds and supplies are often insufficient to meet the growing demand for maintenance and essential drugs — particularly for those 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,” Distrito stressed.
He added that the resolution aims to strengthen the city’s health delivery system by ensuring that free medicines are accessible not only at the City Health Pharmacy but also in every barangay health center.
The measure further emphasizes that the medicines should be distributed strictly free of charge and not for sale, to guarantee that the assistance directly benefits those most in need.
By extending the allocation to barangay health centers, the program will decentralize access to essential medicines, making them more readily available to residents in far-flung communities.
“Through the support of Mayor Greg Gasataya and the CHO, this initiative will help ease the burden of our marginalized sectors. It reaffirms our collective commitment to making health services inclusive, equitable, and sustainable for all,” Distrito said.
The approved resolution forms part of the SP’s continuing efforts to strengthen Bacolod’s healthcare system and uphold the welfare of its most vulnerable sectors, in line with the city’s thrust to promote health equity and social protection./PN
