HISTORY OF BOTIKA NG BARANGAY

Isabela City, Basilan (5 October) -- Health is wealth, yet somehow

one needs some wealth to gain health. How many of our poor
Filipinos have access to better health services? If one visits rural
areas like far-flung barangays in Basilan, poor people would clamor
for better health services in their community.

Rural communities only enjoy health services during medical

missions and civic actions with the military as the issue of terrorism
and security aggravates the already lame health program.

With less doctors and health workers, no health centers, with local
governments' poor health programs, coupled with expensive
medicines, where would the poor sick patient be?

Quack doctors, hilots, and herbal medicines are the practical options
left for poor sick patients who are in dire need of medical care.

With the magnitude of health problems in the Philippines, taking its

toll on the many poor Filipinos in the countryside, the government
took a big step at being a signatory to the United Nations Millennium
Development Goals where reduction of poverty, improved maternal
and child care, access to health care were among its goals.

Addressing the issue of the poor's access to cheaper medicines, the

Arroyo administration instituted the Botika ng Barangay (Pharmacy in
the village) in 2003 through the Department of Health (DOH) aimed at
promoting equity in health by ensuring the availability and
accessibility of affordable, safe and effective, quality essential drugs
to all, with priority for marginalized, underserved, critical and hard to
reach areas.

Botika ng Barangay (BnB) refers to the drug outlet managed by a

legitimate community organization (CO), Non-Government
Organization (NGO) and/or the Local Government Unit (LGU) with
the operators and supervising pharmacist.

The BnB outlets should be initially identified, evaluated and selected

by the concerned Centers for Health Development (CHD), approved
by the National Center for Pharmaceutical Access and Management
(NCPAM), and Special License to Operate (SLTO) by the Food and
Drug Administration to sell, distribute, offer to sale and/or make
available low-priced generic home remedies, over the counter (OTC)
drugs.

Like any other pro-poor programs of government, especially under

the previous administration, the project has been subjected to
criticisms and controversies which led Senator Pia Cayetano in May
2009 to request the senate to conduct an inquiry on the status of BnB
implementation in aid of legislation.

The senate resolution cited that news reports based on the thesis of
two senior journalism students of the University of the Philippines,
show that the program suffers from poor implementation thereby
resulting in wastage of government resources while denying health
care services to the poor areas.

It also noted that the 2007 BnB list shows that among the forty (40)
poorest towns in the country, there are about fifteen (15) towns that
have no BnB outlets. It further noted that not all necessary and
essential drugs that are commonly and regularly needed are available
at the BnB outlets.

Medicines for serious illnesses such as malaria and tuberculosis,

considered the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the
country, as well as drugs for filariasis and schistosomiasis, the two
leading diseases in some poor communities in the Philippines, are
not sold and available in the BnB outlets.

The resolution also cited that there are also findings of irregularities in
the procurement of medicines by some BnB operators which result in
the relatively high prices of the drugs purchased by DOH.

Reports said that as of January 2009, there were 12,341 botikas, a

long way from the 427 in 2003. But the program covers only half of
the country's 42,000 barangays and suffers from poor implementation
and conflicting priorities from top to bottom. As a result, the BnB
program was accused of wasting scarce resources while denying
health care services to the poorest areas it was meant to serve.
There are indeed several factors that will contribute to the success of
operating the BnB. While there are available funds to finance the
operation of a BnB, the management capability of operators, the
support and role of local government units, the efficient mentoring,
monitoring, and supervision of concerned government agencies, and
the support and consciousness of the people are key elements of a
successful BnB operation.

In spite of the criticisms, however, the government continues to

implement and expand the Botika ng Barangay in the effort of hitting
its target coupled with close monitoring and capability-building
activities linking with local government units to address some
management and procurement problems.

The Center for Health Development of the Department of Health said

that as of June 2010, the Philippines has 16,335 BnB, which DOH
believes is already close to the total target of 70% of the total
population of the country. And this has cost the government some
P511,170,961.49 that comes from the national budget and PCSO
funds.

The Botika ng Barangay is one laudable and commendable

government pro-poor program. The poor and the marginalized in
communities where it is needed most wish that this program reaches
them. And the DOH assures it will.

PROGRAM OF BOTIKA NG BARANGAY

CALAPAN, ORIENTAL MINDORO— From selling cheaper generic

medicines in her living room, Divina Sanchez has gotten recognition
for having the best Botika ng Barangay in this province.

The Botika ng Barangay is a program by the Department of Health to

promote cheaper medicines, especially in remote towns where
people need to travel far to buy them. The program started in Oriental
Mindoro

Sanchez, a health worker, was among the first to join the program,
converting her sala into a Botika ng Barangay outlet. It did not take
long for her to realize that she was actually helping her community
while gaining decent profit.

“I try to run the botika in the best way I can, I keep the books in order
and regularly updated, and I try to keep common medicines always
available so that people won’t be disappointed,” she says.

The DoH and the European Union have a joint program called “F-1”
that aims to make generic medicines available in underserved areas
for as much as 90 percent lower than the current price in bigger
cities.

The DoH also introduced the “P100” package, which bundles

together medicines for common ailments such as diarrhea,
hypertension and ulcer, among others, for only 100 pesos. According
to the DoH, this is to address the fact people tend to buy more
expensive medicines in smaller portions so they usually do not
complete the prescription.