By Egay Uy
ONE of the things I wanted to pursue after my medication will have been through and my activities back to normal, is the full compliance with the expanded senior citizens’ act and its implementing rules and regulations by entities that are supposed to do so.
While undergoing medication, which includes supplements for my liver because my SGPT was at a record high, a known drugstore at the Centrio Mall refused to grant the senior citizen privilege under RA 9994 and its IRR. The reason given was that the prescribed medication was not the kind of medication as understood in the law and that their automated system does not recognize the medicine – or mineral supplement if you will.
When I first purchased the supplements more than a month ago while I was still consulting with my physician as an out-patient, I did not argue with the drugstore attendant anymore and paid the full amount, despite the prescription given by my attending physician, my purchase booklet, and senior ID. I could have shown the drugstore the blood chemistry results to back up the prescription but I did not do it anymore. There are more important things to do in life, so I thought then.
Then I had to be confined in a hospital. While in confinement, the same kind of mineral supplement was prescribed by my attending physician. Again, the drugstore’s branch at Macasandig refused to grant the privilege for the same reason. On request, an attendant of the drugstore wrote at the back of the prescription that the meds were not covered by the senior privilege.
I already sent a request to the City Council’s Committee on Health to have the drugstore summoned, in aid of legislation. I will recommend to the committee to sponsor an ordinance that will summarily cancel the business permit of a drugstore that does not grant the privilege to seniors. And this has to include practices of some drugstores of not assigning somebody in the senior citizens counter, or whose stocks suddenly run out whenever a senior citizen attempts to purchase medicines.
Another request was sent to the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs through the Office of the City Administrator to look into the matter. And I understand the Osca has already taken cognizance of the matter.
Rule IV, Article 7, Section 1 of the Rules and Regulations Implementing RA 9994 (Expanded Senior Citizens’ Act) provides clearly:
“Section 1. MEDICAL_RELATED PRIVILEGES (a) MEDICINE AND DRUG PURCHASES - The 20% discount and VAT exemption shall apply to the purchase of generic or branded medicines and drugs by or for senior citizens, including the purchase of influenza and pneumococcal vaccines. THE 20% DISCOUNT AND VAT EXEMPTION SHALL ALSO BE GRANTED TO THE PURCHASE OF VITAMINS AND MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS WHICH ARE MEDICALLY PRESCRIBED BY AN ATTENDING PHYSICIAN FOR PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF DISEASES, ILLNESS, OR INJURY.” (emphasis supplied)
Just to emphasize on this a little more, the same law provides for penalties for violation of at least P50,000-fine and imprisonment for at least two years.
See you soon, Mercury!
(Egay Uy is a lawyer. He chairs the City’s Regulatory and Complaint Board, co-chairs with the city mayor the City Price Coordinating Council, and chairs the city’s Joint Inspection Team. He retired as a vice president of Cepalco.)
