Guidelines on the Availment of Medicine Assistance Funded under the President's P1 Billion Fund

December 18, 2016

DSWD MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 014-16

GUIDELINES ON THE AVAILMENT OF MEDICINE ASSISTANCE FUNDED UNDER THE PRESIDENT'S P1 BILLION FUND

I. RATIONALE

Medicines are generally expensive in the Philippines. Patients with serious illnesses that require prescription medicines may die if they are unable to purchase and take these.

The Department of Health (DOH) has an ongoing free medicine program for indigents called Medical Assistance Program (MAP), a program of the Department of Health intended to provide medical assistance to patients seeking consultation, rehabilitation, examination or otherwise confined in government hospitals. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) provides medical assistance to indigent patients in its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, very much aware of the high cost of medicines and the numerous indigent patients who cannot afford to purchase prescription drugs, allocated P1 billion pesos of the President's Social Fund to enable these patients to access badly needed medicines. The President instructed the DSWD to formulate guidelines for the program, implement and administer it immediately.

II. OBJECTIVE

To provide assistance to indigent Filipinos so that they can immediately avail of needed prescription medicines. ASEcHI

III. SCOPE AND COVERAGE

A. Target Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries of the program shall be Filipinos seeking assistance from a DSWD office to access needed prescription medicines. Priority shall be given to the following:

1. Families/Individuals who are indigent, vulnerable, disadvantaged or those in the informal sector and poor based on the DSWD Listahanan

2. Government employees and Contract of Service Workers

3. Those who are in crisis situation based on assessment of the Social Workers

Prescription medicines of drug dependents undergoing treatment/rehabilitation are not covered by this program as a separate program is being created for them.

B. Implementing Office

The release of medical assistance shall be facilitated by the Department's Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU), a special unit of DSWD that serves as an action center to immediately respond to the needs of individuals and families in crisis situations. The CIUs are located at the Central Office (CO), Field Offices (FO) and/or DSWD Satellite Offices in the Provinces.

IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

This project shall assist the indigent Filipinos needing medicines. It has a program fund amounting to P1 Billion which shall be sourced from the Office of the President.

V. REQUIREMENTS

The clients seeking assistance for their needed medicines shall bring and submit to the respective CIU the following original or certified true copy documents, and/or photocopy documents certified by CIU social worker:

1. Clinical Abstract/Medical Certificate with full name, signature and license number of the attending physician (issued not later than 3 months)

2. Doctor's Prescription with date and name of patient (signed by the attending physician with license number indicated)

3. Barangay Certificate of Indigency or Indigent Card issued by the medical social service of the hospital

4. Any valid ID of the client

If the prescription costs P5,000 or less, confirmation by the doctor or his/her duly certified representative of the veracity of the prescription is sufficient for DSWD to provide the assistance.

A Social Case Study report prepared by the LGU social worker/medical social worker, or a social case summary prepared by a registered social worker may be required by the CIU social worker to support assessment and recommendation of assistance. A social case study report is required as supporting document for assistance more than PhP5,000.

VI. GENERAL POLICIES

1. The type, kind, and amount of financial assistance to be provided to beneficiaries shall be based on the assessment and recommendation of the DSWD Social Workers and/or LGU social workers as the case may be, duly approved by the authorized official/s of the Department.

2. Cost of assistance amounting to P5,000 and below shall be directly approved by the current CIU head or his/her designated approving officer.

3. Cost of assistance amounting to more than PhP5,000 but not to exceed to PhP10,000 shall be approved by the Assistant Bureau Director (ABD) of Protective Services Bureau (PSB) or the delegated office in the CO or the Assistant Regional Director (ARD) of the FOs.

4. The Social Worker and/or the authorized personnel may recommend cost of assistance beyond PhP10,000 but not to exceed PhP25,000, subject to the approval of the Regional Director for DSWD FOs or the Director of the PSB or the delegated office for the DSWD CO. ITAaHc

5. The maximum allowable assistance that a social worker and/or the authorized personnel may recommend is only up to PhP25,000.00. However, in extremely justifiable cases, the amount of assistance beyond P25,000.00 but not to exceed P75,000.00, may be granted subject to the approval of the Assistant Secretary for Protective Programs for DSWD CO or the Regional Director for DSWD FO.

6. Assistance will be released through the issuance of a Guarantee Letter direct to service providers such as pharmacies of public and private hospitals and pharmaceutical companies.

7. A client can avail of the assistance only once within three (3) months. Availment of assistance beyond this limit must be supported by a justification based on the urgency and nature of the need of the beneficiary assessed by the Social Worker, subject to availability of funds and the appropriate level of approval.

8. Partnership with service providers shall be established by the Department to ensure that referred clients are efficiently and effectively assisted immediately. Contracts or Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) may be entered into by the DSWD with qualified service providers.

9. In no case shall the implementation of the program be delegated and/or transferred to any kind of Civil Society Organization, whether it be a non-governmental organization or a people's organization.

10. The fund shall be downloaded and managed by DSWD. Five percent (5%) of the fund shall be used for project management that will oversee and manage the implementation of the fund.

VII. PROCESS/OPERATIONAL PROCEDURE

This shall follow the implementing guidelines of the Memorandum Circular No. 04 Series of 2015 or the Guidelines on the Implementation of the Protective Services Program, specifically item 7.1 or the implementing guidelines for the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation.

VIII. PARTNERSHIP WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS

The CIU shall establish partnership with service providers for the release of medicines for the clients. Specifically, the Service Providers should facilitate the direct provision of medicines to the client through a credit basis. The service provider should include hospitals, pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies with the following priority:

1. Government hospitals

2. Private hospitals and drugstores

3. Pharmaceutical companies

Identification of service provider should be based on the quality of service they provide and the trend of the number clients sought service on the said service provider.

A MOA between the FO and the Service Provider may be entered into, formalizing the details of the partnership, specifically indicating the allowable maximum credit amount of P300,000.00 per service provider, set billing period, among others, to ensure monitoring of funds to be disbursed and to set a limit on the amount of service/assistance to be paid to the service providers.

IX. INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT

The following would be the task and functions specific to the following office:

1. DSWD Central Office

• Assign and/or designate a Project Focal Person who shall closely monitor, coordinate and oversee the program implementation of the Field Offices.

• Facilitate transfer of the corresponding program fund to the concerned Field Office.

• Provide technical assistance on the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the program;

• Undertake tracking and monitoring of the physical and financial accomplishment of the program; and,

• Consolidate submitted monthly reports on the implementation of the program

• Submit over-all program accomplishment report to the Department Secretary and Office of the President.

• Conduct a National Project Implementation Review (PIR) with the Field Offices to determine the impact and outcome of the program and projects.

2. Field Offices/Crisis Intervention Unit

• Assign and/or designate a focal person to closely monitor and coordinate the project implementation with DSWD CO and other implementing partners

• Implement/carry out the program/projects in accordance with the approved WFP and policy guidelines

• Take responsibility in the proper disposition/disbursement of funds for the implementation of its programs, in accordance with COA rules and regulations

• Submit a monthly accomplishment report to DSWD CO

• Forge Memorandum of Agreement with the identified service providers CHTAIc

• Conduct a Project Implementation Review (PIR) at the regional level with the implementing partners to determine the impact and outcome of the program and projects

X. REPORTING, MONITORING AND EVALUATION

1. The Central Office shall closely coordinate and conduct regular monitoring to the Field Office on the implementation of the project. The Central Office shall conduct field visit and monitoring to Field Offices and Satellite Offices, specifically to provide TA on program implementation, address issues and concerns, and ensure the full utilization of funds.

2. The Field Office shall prepare an update report, indicating the accomplishment and status of the project (physical and financial), to be submitted to the Central Office on a monthly basis and/or on need basis.

3. The Central Office will submit the Overall Project Accomplishment Report to the Office of the President on a quarterly basis and/or on a need basis.

4. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Operations and Programs Group — Protective Programs shall be the overseer of the program and shall monitor the over all implementation both in CO and FO. An annual Program Implementation Review and Evaluation of the Central Office and Field Office shall be conducted to evaluate and assess the overall implementation of the program.

XI. INITIAL IMPLEMENTATION

This project shall be implemented in selected Regions through its Regional Hospitals as follow:

REGION	LOCATION	REGIONAL HOSPITAL
FO NCR	Manila	University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH)
FO III	City of San Fernando Pampanga	Jose B. Lingad General Hospital (JBLGH)
FO VI	Iloilo City	Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC)
FO VII	Cebu City	Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC)
FO XI	Davao City Tagum City	Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) Davao Regional Hospital (DRH)

Indigent patients of the hospital who will require medicine assistance shall be served by this program. As the hospital has already determined the indigent status of these patients and their doctors are the ones issuing the prescription, then the DSWD social worker and the medical social worker can facilitate the grant of guarantee letter to the patients. The patients can then immediately access the needed prescription drug/s in any of the nearby service providers where DSWD has a MOA.

Other regions shall provide medicine assistance through the regular Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) chargeable against PSP fund.

XII. EFFECTIVITY

This Order shall take effect immediately and shall only apply to the implementation of the abovementioned purpose.

Issued this 28th of December 2016.

(SGD.) JUDY M. TAGUIWALOSecretary, DSWD