THE City Health Office-Botika ng Bayan (CHO-BNB) reported that they served around 1 million Dabawenyos in 2024, slightly higher than in 2023.
Gemma Pujanes, officer in charge of BNB, said that they have catered to around 1,055,261 Dabawenyos in 2024, a bit higher than the 1,036,847 clients they served in 2023.
At present, the city has 12 BNBs under district offices and two outside district offices; which are Botika ng Bayan-Malasakit Center and Botika ng Bayan Main-City Health Office. They aim to increase the number of BNBs in the city to cater to all Dabawenyos in need of medicine.
“From then on ang target unta nato ani is mabutangan og Botika ng Bayan ang 18 kabuok district offices sa Davao City (From then on, our target for this is to establish a Botika ng Bayan in all 18 district offices in Davao City),” she said during the ISpeak media forum on Thursday, February 6, 2025, at the City Mayor’s Office (CMO).
Some of the district health offices that have BNB are Baguio District, District 3 in Mini Forest, Talomo Central in GSIS, Talomo North in SIR, Talomo South in Puan, and in Tugbok. She said the pharmacies are already in place and already serving the public; however, they still lack a license from the Philippine Drug Administration. She said they aim to acquire licenses for these remaining pharmacies this year.
Pujanes added that procurement of medicines is ongoing, adding that some of the medicines that are almost always out of stock are cardiovascular medicines such as losartan and amlodipine; cough medicine, antibiotics, and Vitamin B-complex. She revealed that despite having truckloads of Vitamin B-complex in stock these usually are always out of stock due to the high demand.
In terms of wastage, she said antibiotics and emergency medicines such as ampules are usually prone to it. However, wastage is now at a bare minimum since the city employed pharmacists. She said the BNBs used to be managed by nurses and midwives, making the pharmacy their second priority. With pharmacists now being hired, the BNBs are managed effectively.
The BNB has been operating since 2018 under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, whose aim is to provide free medicines to the public. The program was then adopted by Vice President Sara Duterte when she was mayor of Davao City and the first BNB was in partnership with the Lingap program.
Those who wish to avail of the free medicine from the BNB may bring their updated doctor’s prescription. For maintenance, the prescription lasts about three months, while for antibiotics it only lasts for seven days. She said the patient should have a valid ID when claiming the medicine. If it is a family member who will claim the medicine, they must also bring their valid ID. The BNB also accepts prescriptions from private hospitals and clinics. RGP