San jose de buenavista: The provincial government of Antique has taken a significant step in supporting the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s (PhilHealth) initiative by agreeing to allocate funds for the Guaranteed and Accessible Medications for Outpatient Treatment (GAMOT) program.

According to Philippines News Agency, Provincial Administrator Robin Rubinos announced that Governor Paolo Everardo is planning to establish Padayon (Continuity) Centers at the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital (ASMGH) in San Jose de Buenavista. This move aims to implement a zero-billing policy, allowing patients to access necessary medications before their discharge without incurring costs.

“Governor Javier is working on the allocation for the implementation of the zero-billing policy through a Supplemental Budget and in the 2026 Annual Budget,” Rubinos stated during the PhilHealth GAMOT and Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP) caravan at the New Antique Capitol on Tuesday.

PhilHealth Senior Vice President Dennis Mas emphasized that by allocating these funds, the provincial government ensures that outpatients can receive their needed medicines for conditions such as infections, asthma, and diabetes at no cost. “The allocated fund of the provincial government will just be to enable the accredited GAMOT facilities to purchase the initial needed medicines that they will dispense to the outpatients,” Mas explained, noting that the fund would eventually revert to the provincial government due to PhilHealth reimbursement.

In addition to these efforts, PhilHealth has accredited three new GAMOT facilities in Antique: San Vicente Pharmacy, Essentiales Pharmacy, and the Barbaza Rural Health Unit. There are also 23 accredited clinics and government-owned hospitals operating under the YAKAP program, further expanding the reach and impact of these health initiatives.