by MS Arguelles

Legazpi City (1 December) -- Pursuing an aggressive health service program that is in line with the country's Millennium Development Goal (MDG), Albay had recently launched "Kalusugan para sa Albayanos" (KASAMA) an agendum that would improve the delivery of health services to poor communities in the province.

In KASAMA program, the provincial government, in cooperation with a multinational drug firm, would issue to thousands of poor families in the province with "Sulit Cards", a medicine discounts coupons that would give lower rates ranging from 30 to 50 percent discounts on prescription drugs issued by doctors.

KASAMA program is part of the commitment of the province to the MDG, an international agreement among members of the United Nations during a series of conferences in the 1990s, and represent commitments to reduce poverty and hunger, and to tackle ill-health, gender inequality, lack of education, lack of access to clean water and environmental degradation.

MDGs are framed as a compact program, recognizing the contribution that developed countries can make through trade, development assistance, debt relief, access to essential medicines and technology transfer.

Based on MDG records in the country, of the 79 provinces across the country only Albay has attained three MDG targets such as: 100 percent PhilHealth Coverage, the decrease in infant (0-six years) and maternal mortality rates last year, and malaria free province.

By the end of the year, "we are focusing on making Albay a rabies, leprosy, dengue and measles free province," Albay Governor Joey Salceda said.

Salceda said by 2015 most of the MDG target would be accomplished making Albay a healthy place to live in.

Salceda had recently entered into an agreement with Pfizer Phils., a known multinational drug company in the country launching the KASAMA program a health program aimed to provide some 237,000 families with "Sulit Cards" medicine discount cards.

He said "the program will be of great help to poor families in terms of savings for their medicines especially those that are under drug maintenance course for illnesses, since the cards will give its holders with discounts on medicines purchased."

"The discounts would only apply to prescription drugs manufactured by Pfizer," Salceda said.

According to Salceda, this venture is first of its kind to be implemented in the country, and piloted in Albay.