By Annabel Consuelo Petinglay/PNA
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – Eleven Botika ng Bayan will go on full operation in various health units (RHUs) in the province before the end of this month.
Dr. Feman Rene Autajay, Department of Health (DOH) Team Leader in the province, said residents will now be able to buy their medicines from any of the branches near them. He noted that the Botika ng Bayan is established in municipalities where there are no government hospitals.
“Botika ng Bayan in the RHUs have also been assigned with pharmacists by the DOH,” he said in an interview on Wednesday.
Autajay said Botika ng Bayan branches will also be established in the eight district hospitals, including in the Sebaste Municipal Hospital in Sebaste town.
“Although the hospitals have yet to launch their Botika ng Bayan, but then there are already medicines which the people could avail for free,” he said.
The hospitals that are set to launch their Botika ng Bayan are the Ramon Maza Sr. Memorial District Hospital in Sibalom, Culasi District Hospital in Culasi, Justice Calixto Zaldivar Memorial General Hospital in Pandan, Pedro L. Gindap Municipal Hospital in Barbaza, Valderrama Medical Hospital in Valderrama, Diosdado Macapagal Hospital in Tobias Fornier, Bugasong Medicare Community Hospital in Bugasong, and Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital in this capital town.
“The pharmacists at the Botika ng Bayan [can] dispense medicines to the Antiqueño patients so long as they have the doctor’s prescription,” Autajay said.
He added that various medicines are available at the government drug stores, including vitamins that people need to boost their immune system during this time of a pandemic. (PNA) -jlo
