Seniors can now avail of medicine discount sans purchase booklet —DOH

The Department of Health (DOH) is no longer requiring senior citizens to present their purchase booklets to avail of the 20% discount on medicines and medical devices.

This came after Health Secretary Teodoro "Ted" Herbosa issued on Monday Administrative Order No. 2024-0017 which amends two previous administrative orders that provides the guidelines to implement Republic Act No. 9994 or the "Expanded Senior Citizen Act of 2010."

The latest AO deletes provisions on the previous orders that require the senior citizens to present their purchase booklets when purchasing prescription medicines, over the counter medicines, and medical devices.

"The Department recognizes that requiring senior citizens to present purchase booklets during every transaction to avail the 20% discount in the purchase of medicines results in undue burden and difficulties," the latest AO read.

"There is a need to realign guidelines on implementing the 20% Senior Citizens' discount with statutory law, which does not require the use of a purchase booklet to avail the 20% discount on medicients," it added.

In February this year, the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) called on business owners to go digital in monitoring the transactions of senior citizens in case their purchase booklets are removed as a requirement to avail of government-mandated discounts. 

NCSC chairman Franklin Quijano made the call as he suggested the purchase booklets of senior citizens—which typically serves as a record to prevent overbuying and abuse of discount benefits—-be replaced with a centralized database.

Quijano also hoped Congress, with the help of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, would push for the development of a centralized database for senior citizens’ transactions—Hana Bordey/AOL/LDF, GMA Integrated News