SAYING there are medicines that don’t need a prescription from the doctor, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña remains firm that the distribution of maintenance medicines without a prescription in the barangays is legal.
This, after Apas Barangay Captain Ramil Ayuman, on a Facebook post, said that Dr. Sophia Mancao of the Department of Health (DOH) 7 admitted that the distribution of maintenance medicine to hypertensive and diabetic residents facilitated by “untrained” individuals is a violation.
The mayor’s free maintenance distribution program is reportedly overseen by Barangay Mayor’s Office (BMO) personnel, not by barangay health workers (BHWs).
Accountability
“In short, Dr. Mancao admitted that there was an administrative violation. They’re not trained and they’re most certainly not elected, which means they’re not accountable officers. Who’s going to take responsibility if there’s going to be a problem on let’s say, for example, mistakes in dosage?” Ayuman told Sun.Star Cebu in a phone interview yesterday.
Last Thursday, the Office of the Presidential Assistant to the Visayas called for a consultative meeting held at the Sacred Heart Center to bring to the barangay level the national programs of the government.
However, Presidential Assistant Michael Dino was not present at the event.
Ayuman said about 50 village chiefs and representatives from the city attended the meeting with DOH, the Department of Labor and Employment and Department of Public Works and Highways.
Village officials raised concerns on the distribution of the medicine by the BMOs, saying that aside from overruling the responsibility of BHWs, it might endanger the lives of constituents, considering that the former do not have training.
Cambinocot Barangay Captain Rey Lauron said a diabetic constituent had to receive immediate care after receiving the wrong dosage of his maintenance medicine.
No authority
“DOH, being a national line agency should not be afraid of the mayor in reprimanding the City Government of its violation,” Ayuman said.
However, Mancao, on Ayuman’s video post, said the DOH has no authority to stop Osmeña’s program. “It’s under the mayor’s office. While DOH is a regional office, we don’t have power over that if it’s the mayor’s program,” she said. “There’s an overlapping, but still, we’ll stick with our program because it’s provided by the law,” she said.
DOH 7 assured village chiefs that its medicines will go directly to the different barangay health centers, and not to the BMOs.
However, BHWs must validate their list of hypertensive and diabetic constitutents along with the right dosage they need to ensure safety.
Sought for comment on DOH’s plan, Osmeña said: “There are doctors prescription. Some medicines don’t need prescription. DOH will give out medicines directly to barangay health centers? That’s my problem. But it is legal.”