Network of medicine vendors proves health care affordable
CASTILLEJOS, Zambales—From memory, Shirley Navarro recited the prices of generic medicines that are neatly stacked in a cabinet her father made out of scrap lumber.
“Amoxicillin is P2, paracetamol is 50 centavos, mefenamic acid is P1, salbutamol is 50 centavos, ibuprofen is P1 and Vitamin B complex is 90 centavos,” the 26-year-old mother said.
On the list tacked on the door were 80 or so medicines. The prices of these as of Friday, Navarro said, were more than 10 times cheaper than those of generic or branded drugs sold in commercial drugstores.
“Medicines here cost much cheaper than those sold in the lowland,” she told the Inquirer, referring to the upland resettlement of Balaybay here where she and 1,700 families have lived after Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991.
The store that Navarro, eight women and a village council member keep here is called “Botika Natin sa Nayon (Our Drugstore in the Village).”
The medicines are not only affordable. These are available 24 hours.
“This helps us a lot,” she said of the venture they started in April.
If the residents have to buy medicines, they have to travel some 10 km to the town proper or pay P13 for a one-way ride by tricycle.
Former Vice Gov. Ramon Lacbain II, who started this social enterprise, said as of May 31, there are 213 more of these outlets throughout Zambales.
Network
From just one outlet in Sitio Balon, Barangay Cawag in Subic town, which opened on Aug. 25, 2005, Lacbain’s group, the Zambales War Against Poverty (ZWAP) Foundation Inc., has organized outlets in the 13 towns and one city of Zambales.
The largest number of outlets is in Olongapo City, with 53. The town of Subic has 39 outlets; Castillejos, 14; San Marcelino, two; San Antonio, 13; San Narciso, 10; San Felipe, 15; Cabangan, five; Botolan, 13; Iba, six; Palauig, 8; Masinloc, 15; Candelaria, one; and Sta. Cruz, 20.
The outlets come in various forms: a store, a table in front of a house or a tray that is taken in and out of a house whenever there is a buyer.
“Presyong himala laban sa kahirapan (Miraculously priced medicines against poverty),” Lacbain said of the medicines the community-based outlets sell.
The outlets cater only to the needs of the families that are, in turn, banned from retailing the drugs.
The prices in Balaybay are the same in Barangay Taltal in Masinloc, in the mountain village of Bundok Tralala in Olongapo City, in the coastal community of Kinabuksan in Subic, in New Kababae that is in the middle of Olongapo, and in other village outlets, Lacbain said.
The stocks are supplied by ZWAP’s six distribution centers. One of these, located in Wawandue, Subic, has evolved into a regular drugstore in November 2006 since its network has grown to 39 outlets, according to Joyce Marie Abiva, one of the four licensed pharmacists overseeing the operations.
The five distribution centers and the drugstore also accept walk-in clients.
“Napakamura (Prices are very cheap),” Olive Boyd said when Abiva showed her the price list. Boyd on Friday placed orders for a medical mission of the Kingdom Hope Missionary Outreach for Barangay Naugsol next week.
“I managed to buy more [medicines] although we have limited funds,” she told the Inquirer.
Campaign
At first, the prices were met with disbelief, Navarro said. “Our neighbors thought we were selling fake drugs. They couldn’t believe the low prices,” she said.
Like what most of the 2,240 members of the Botika Natin sa Nayon had done, she had to explain what generic drugs meant before she could convince their neighbors to try these.
“These are also effective. Their names are only different from popular brands,” she said.
By pitching for generic medicines, they have virtually become an army of grassroots campaigner for the Generics Act of 1988 or Republic Act No. 6675.
The law seeks to “promote, require and ensure the production of an adequate supply, distribution, use and acceptance of drugs and medicines identified by their generic names.”
To erase doubts, ZWAP has displayed copies of registrations, licenses and accreditations from the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bureau of Food and Drugs, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of Trade and Industry, and Philippine International Trading Corp.
Lacbain said ZWAP buys only from Department of Health-licensed companies.
A proof to the growing trust is the cash that piles up on the register.
The Balaybay drugstore makes P200 in daily minimum sales. The distribution center on West Tapinac makes a minimum of P3,000 to a maximum of P14,000 daily. The Wawandue drugstore grosses P2,500 daily from walk-in customers alone.
How it began
The venture began when former Gov. Vicente Magsaysay stripped the vice governor’s office of its budget in 2004, Lacbain said.
“I wanted to continue helping in terms of medical assistance but I was left without money,” he said.
Late that same year, village council member Kathy de la Cruz of Mabanglit in Cabangan walked into his office and requested P1,000.
“Kathy said she needed the money because she wanted to buy medicines for common ailments and make these available to villagers,” said Lacbain.
De la Cruz returned a few months later, making the same request.
“I hesitated to give again but then she looked sincere. I decided to see for myself what she actually did with the money so I went to her village,” he said.
“In front of her house, Kathy kept a small table. She kept the medicines in scrap bottles of mayonnaise and she was selling these at low prices. From out of the small profit she made, she bought more medicines to keep the supply steady,” he said.
“People can immediately buy the drugs they need,” Lacbain recalled De la Cruz’s explanation for the initiative.
The idea caught on with Lacbain. He improved it by putting elements of participation and accountability.
He required that the venture should be managed by at least 10 residents who mutually trust each other.
By Tonette Orejas - Inquirer
“Amoxicillin is P2, paracetamol is 50 centavos, mefenamic acid is P1, salbutamol is 50 centavos, ibuprofen is P1 and Vitamin B complex is 90 centavos,” the 26-year-old mother said.
On the list tacked on the door were 80 or so medicines. The prices of these as of Friday, Navarro said, were more than 10 times cheaper than those of generic or branded drugs sold in commercial drugstores.
“Medicines here cost much cheaper than those sold in the lowland,” she told the Inquirer, referring to the upland resettlement of Balaybay here where she and 1,700 families have lived after Mt. Pinatubo erupted in 1991.
The store that Navarro, eight women and a village council member keep here is called “Botika Natin sa Nayon (Our Drugstore in the Village).”
The medicines are not only affordable. These are available 24 hours.
“This helps us a lot,” she said of the venture they started in April.
If the residents have to buy medicines, they have to travel some 10 km to the town proper or pay P13 for a one-way ride by tricycle.
Former Vice Gov. Ramon Lacbain II, who started this social enterprise, said as of May 31, there are 213 more of these outlets throughout Zambales.
Network
From just one outlet in Sitio Balon, Barangay Cawag in Subic town, which opened on Aug. 25, 2005, Lacbain’s group, the Zambales War Against Poverty (ZWAP) Foundation Inc., has organized outlets in the 13 towns and one city of Zambales.
The largest number of outlets is in Olongapo City, with 53. The town of Subic has 39 outlets; Castillejos, 14; San Marcelino, two; San Antonio, 13; San Narciso, 10; San Felipe, 15; Cabangan, five; Botolan, 13; Iba, six; Palauig, 8; Masinloc, 15; Candelaria, one; and Sta. Cruz, 20.
The outlets come in various forms: a store, a table in front of a house or a tray that is taken in and out of a house whenever there is a buyer.
“Presyong himala laban sa kahirapan (Miraculously priced medicines against poverty),” Lacbain said of the medicines the community-based outlets sell.
The outlets cater only to the needs of the families that are, in turn, banned from retailing the drugs.
The prices in Balaybay are the same in Barangay Taltal in Masinloc, in the mountain village of Bundok Tralala in Olongapo City, in the coastal community of Kinabuksan in Subic, in New Kababae that is in the middle of Olongapo, and in other village outlets, Lacbain said.
The stocks are supplied by ZWAP’s six distribution centers. One of these, located in Wawandue, Subic, has evolved into a regular drugstore in November 2006 since its network has grown to 39 outlets, according to Joyce Marie Abiva, one of the four licensed pharmacists overseeing the operations.
The five distribution centers and the drugstore also accept walk-in clients.
“Napakamura (Prices are very cheap),” Olive Boyd said when Abiva showed her the price list. Boyd on Friday placed orders for a medical mission of the Kingdom Hope Missionary Outreach for Barangay Naugsol next week.
“I managed to buy more [medicines] although we have limited funds,” she told the Inquirer.
Campaign
At first, the prices were met with disbelief, Navarro said. “Our neighbors thought we were selling fake drugs. They couldn’t believe the low prices,” she said.
Like what most of the 2,240 members of the Botika Natin sa Nayon had done, she had to explain what generic drugs meant before she could convince their neighbors to try these.
“These are also effective. Their names are only different from popular brands,” she said.
By pitching for generic medicines, they have virtually become an army of grassroots campaigner for the Generics Act of 1988 or Republic Act No. 6675.
The law seeks to “promote, require and ensure the production of an adequate supply, distribution, use and acceptance of drugs and medicines identified by their generic names.”
To erase doubts, ZWAP has displayed copies of registrations, licenses and accreditations from the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bureau of Food and Drugs, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of Trade and Industry, and Philippine International Trading Corp.
Lacbain said ZWAP buys only from Department of Health-licensed companies.
A proof to the growing trust is the cash that piles up on the register.
The Balaybay drugstore makes P200 in daily minimum sales. The distribution center on West Tapinac makes a minimum of P3,000 to a maximum of P14,000 daily. The Wawandue drugstore grosses P2,500 daily from walk-in customers alone.
How it began
The venture began when former Gov. Vicente Magsaysay stripped the vice governor’s office of its budget in 2004, Lacbain said.
“I wanted to continue helping in terms of medical assistance but I was left without money,” he said.
Late that same year, village council member Kathy de la Cruz of Mabanglit in Cabangan walked into his office and requested P1,000.
“Kathy said she needed the money because she wanted to buy medicines for common ailments and make these available to villagers,” said Lacbain.
De la Cruz returned a few months later, making the same request.
“I hesitated to give again but then she looked sincere. I decided to see for myself what she actually did with the money so I went to her village,” he said.
“In front of her house, Kathy kept a small table. She kept the medicines in scrap bottles of mayonnaise and she was selling these at low prices. From out of the small profit she made, she bought more medicines to keep the supply steady,” he said.
“People can immediately buy the drugs they need,” Lacbain recalled De la Cruz’s explanation for the initiative.
The idea caught on with Lacbain. He improved it by putting elements of participation and accountability.
He required that the venture should be managed by at least 10 residents who mutually trust each other.
By Tonette Orejas - Inquirer
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
8:41 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home