DOH Still Has Slots for Diabetic, Hypertension Clubs

The Department of Health (DOH) urges all hypertensive and diabetic patients in the country to take advantage of the chance to be included in the remaining slots for its diabetic and hypertensive diabetic club that will be implemented by January 2016.

According to DOH Secretary Janette L. Garin, as the agency enhanced its efforts in bringing the Kalusugang Pangkalahatan (KP) accessible to every Filipinos, the Department would be distributing free maintenance medicines to the members listed in the said club.

Garin said that as of this date their target in their database still have remaining slots to be filled in.

Almost three million hypertensive and around one million diabetics in the country are targeted to join the club.

The registration started last Dec. 9 when the DOH launched the DOH Hypertension and Diabetes Club in San Fernando, Pampanga.

“Meron pang slots available. I think sa Hypertensive Club pupuwede pa ang 200,000; sa diabetes puwede parang 350,000. Kulang pa ‘yong database kasi iyong iba hindi pa alam, e (There are still available slots. I think for the hypertensive club, we can accommodate 200,000 patients; while in diabetes, there are 350,000 slots remaining. Our database is not yet complete as others are not yet aware that we have this program),” Health Secretary Janette Loreto-Garin said in an interview with reporters.

To get listed she said that patients should proceed to their rural health units near their residence.

They will be diagnosed by the physicians with the help of barangay healthworkers (BHWs) who will monitor the patient blood pressure through BP apparatus and glucometer sets provided to them because they were being trained to help in promoting healthy lifestyle and preventive care.

“Magpaparegister sila sa RHU [rural health unit] kung alin doon sa mga gamot ang kailangan nila. Then ipapasa sa regions. Makikita mo sa website namin. Kung nandoon na iyong pangalan nila, monthly padadalhan din…. Reseta lang po ang kailangan (They should go to RHUs and register. Then the registration will be forwarded to the regions. You can check the list on our website. If their names were then they would receive the medicines monthly),” the DOH Health Chief said.

Once they qualified as member of the club they will be receiving DOH maintenance drugs for hypertension such Losartan, Amlodipine, and Metoprolol; and for diabetes which is Metformin.

“Iyan iyong mga most commonly used medicines. At ginagawa rin namin iyan kasi iyan iyong mga gamot na mahal sa market,” she said.

While the indigents are the priority, those patient seeking private consultation who have many maintenance medicine and having many other out of pocket expenditures can also avail of the program and be included in the clubs so long as their maintenance medicines belong to the list mentioned above.

She added as they procure such medicine for the said program by volume for the health maintenance of the patients, that could eventually lead to their goal of lowering of the prices of medicine to private patients and therefore in a way they can make cheaper medicines law effective in the process.

Furthermore, the agency will also be giving free insulin to selected patients or those belonging in the poorest of the poor category.

Aside from that, the DOH will also start by the early part of the year the arthritis club that provides free maintenance medicine such as Allopurinol and Colchicine for acute attacks. (PNA) RMA/LSJ/EDS