DOH pushing for modernization of healthcare facilities in far-flung areas;

DOH pushing for modernization of healthcare facilities in far-flung areas;

BIR issues list of 21 tax-exempted medicines

Transcript

00:00 Meanwhile, the Bureau of Internal Revenue released a list of drugs or medicines exempted from tax.

00:05 Meanwhile, addressing the problem on the drug maintenance for the underprivileged sector were

00:09 included in the health department's modernization efforts. Noel Talakay tells us more.

00:14 Erlinda, 53, diagnosed with diabetes. Budget for her drug maintenance is indeed a bleeding

00:24 money from her monthly salary as a street sweeper. She said more than half of her 5,000 pesos

00:31 monthly income went to her maintenance medicine.

00:34 She also said that even she's sick due to her diabetes, she still have to work just to get her

00:48 salary in full amount because aside from her maintenance, she need the money to provide the

00:54 basic needs of her family. This is one of the reasons why the Department of Health or DOH

01:04 is pursuing its modernization. The state health agency said that this will not just provide high

01:11 tech and state-of-the-art primary care facilities at the far-flung areas in the country, it will

01:17 also bring affordable medicines. One of the things I want to do is to also be in the primary care.

01:24 He said once their new program will materialize, sick Filipinos need not stop taking their

01:34 maintenance medicines. All Filipinos, especially the poorest Filipino, will not be left behind

01:41 for their medical needs.

01:43 Because the poor people stop drinking because it's expensive.

01:47 So I'm thinking how can you afford to buy the regular? So we want to make that medicine available also to our poorest Filipinos.

01:54 Meanwhile, the Bureau of Internal Revenue or BIR has just issued a list of its 21 tax-exempt

02:02 medicines. It includes medication for the two most leading non-communicable disease in the country

02:09 according to health department which are diabetes and hypertension.

02:13 I welcome that because these are drugs that are needed by people who are really

02:18 sick. So it's very important to have that exemption because that lowers the price of medicine.

02:24 Because of the BIR's tax exemption in 21 medicines, the DOH said they can buy more of those medicines

02:34 with their budget and it will also help Filipinos who can't afford to buy

02:39 their maintenance medicines. Noel Talacay for the nation.