The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Caraga Region (DSWD-13) has forged a partnership with eight branches of Mercury Drug through a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on Friday, aimed at enhancing access to medicines for individuals facing crises.
In a statement on Friday, the DSWD-13 announced that under this new collaboration, the identified Mercury Drug branches across the region will accept guarantee letters issued by the DSWD as payment for prescribed medicines for beneficiaries under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program.
The participating Mercury Drug branches in the region include the Montilla Boulevard and A.D. Curato branches in Butuan City; the National Highway, Purok 1, Barangay 4 branch in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur; the Abarca Street branch in Barangay Mangagoy in Bislig City, and the National Road branch in Poblacion, Tandag City, Surigao del Sur; the Barangay Burgos branch in Surigao City and at the Siargao Town Center branch in Dapa, Surigao del Norte.
“Currently, no participating branch has been identified in the province of Dinagat Islands, as Mercury Drug has no outlets operating in the area,” the DSWD-13 said.
The agency said site visits and orientation sessions were already conducted from May 22 to 24 at all the participating Mercury Drug branches in the region.
“These sessions provided a comprehensive overview of the AICS medical assistance process, detailed documentation requirements, and guidelines for dispensing medicines through Guarantee Letters and the accompanying Medicine Calculators,” the DSWD-13 added.
AICS is among the social protection services of the DSWD that provides crucial financial aid for various emergency needs, including medical, funeral, transportation, and food assistance.