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Mahintana Foundation Inc. (MFI) in partnership with the Local Government of General Santos City (LGU-GSC) inaugurated the Health Plus Shop in a Shop (HPSiS) on September 1, 2014 at the General Santos City Hospital, Lagao, General Santos City to complement the hospital’s pharmacy services and improve access to a safe, quality and affordable essential generic pharmaceutical and medical supplies, family planning commodities and support products especially for indigent and emergency cases. This partnership was institutionalized through a Memorandum of Agreement entered into, by and between Mahintana and the LGU, which was officially signed on July 30, 2014.
![Gensan HPSiS opening guests](https://web.archive.org/web/20141220152513im_/http://www.mahintana.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Gensan-HPSiS-opening-guests1-300x200.jpg)
in photo: City Health officials with DHO-XII Regional Director Dr.Teogenes Baluma and NPF CEO Fe Remotigue (3rd and 4th from left respectively) and MFI Executive Director Martiniano Magdolot (extreme right).
In attendance during the program and formal opening were LGU Officials headed by City Mayor Ronnel C. Rivera ,Dr. Benjamin Pagarigan- Chief of Hospital, Dr. Edgardo Sandig- City Health Officer, GSCH and CHO personnel, and MFI management and staff headed by Executive Director Martiniano Magdolot . Also gracing the occasion were Dr. Teogenes F. Baluma, Regional Director of the Department of Health Region XII and Fe Remotigue, Chief Executive Officer of the National Pharmaceutical Foundation, Inc.
The pharmacy, located inside the hospital building, also aims to address the concern of unavailability of essential medicines for patients of GSCH, a challenge that confronts most government-run hospitals, not because of the absence of funds for medicines, but because of the stringent procedures covering government procurement.
![RRivera at GenSan HPSiS opening 2](https://web.archive.org/web/20141220152513im_/http://www.mahintana.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/RRivera-at-GenSan-HPSiS-opening-21-300x203.jpg)
City Mayor Ronnel Rivera addresses guests and hospital management and staff, and re-affirms the LGU’s commitment to improve the provision of health services for the constituents and gain their trust towards the LGU’s health programs and service providers.
In his message during the inauguration program, City Mayor Ronnel C. Rivera said that the objectives of the Mahintana Health Plus program are indeed apropos with his health programs, which aims to ensure available, accessible, and cheaper medicines for the constituents of General Santos. The mayor further stressed that the city government is exhausting all means to improve the service capacity of the hospital and the city health office , and along with the opening of the Mahintana Health Plus pharmacy in the hospital was the launch of the computerization program of the City Health Office and its field offices. For Cherry Rose Elimeyos, a bystander who witnessed the launching said, “dako kayo ni siya nga tabang sama sa amo nga adunay pasyente kay dia na gyud diri sulod sa hospital ug dili na mi kinahanglan moadto bisan asa para mangita lang og tambal (This is really a great relief for us who have patients admitted here since the pharmacy is located inside the hospital and we don’t have to go far in search for medicines).