Mercury Drug

Company Name: Mercury Drug

Company Owner: Vivian Que-Ascona

Company Address: 7 Mercury Ave. cor. C. P. Garcia Ave., Bagumbayan, Quezon City, 1110 Metro Manila, Philippines

Official Contact #: (632) 911 5071

Company Website: https://www.mercurydrug.com/

Company Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mercurydrugph/

Company E-mail: info@mercurydrug.com

Contact Person:

Contact #:

Product/Services: Medical Supplies

Corporate Social Responsibility

Operation Bigay Lunas (OBL) provides free medicines and medical services to underserved communities throughout the Philippines. Started in 1999, OBL is conducted year-round, with local government units, non-government organizations, educational institutions, civic-social organizations and government-related organizations as beneficiaries.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is a year-round beneficiary of OBL, through OBL’s Libreng Gamot para sa Kawal initiative, in recognition of the heroic dedication and commitment of military personnel to the country’s safety and protection. Free medicines and medical supplies are shipped by MDFI directly to AFP’s 33 military treatment facilities nationwide to ensure that soldiers get the proper healthcare assistance wherever they are deployed.

The strong support of the pharmaceutical industry, donors, healthcare professionals and volunteers, and their joint aspiration to bring healthcare closer and more accessible to the people have contributed to the successful conduct of OBL through the years.

Apart from direct assistance with free medicines and medical consultations, OBL also helps establish disease prevalence in the communities served, with actionable healthcare data provided, where applicable, for follow-thru action.

Operation Pa-Tubig provides safe and easy access to clean potable water in marginalized waterless communities. Done in partnership with Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), this program helps improve health and sanitation, and uplifts living conditions and quality of life in these communities.

With easy access to safe potable water, benefited communities are able to meet all their water needs for drinking, personal care and household use. The safety of young children, who are often tasked to do the fetching of water from distant unsafe sources, is also ensured; while time previously spent for fetching water is more efficiently used for more important family and education concerns.

Beneficiary communities are engaged in the management of the project, by mobilization of a team that will see through the maintenance and sustainability of the water system. Training of the community organization, capacitation in the management and maintenance of the water system, and engagement of all stakeholders is undertaken by PBSP.

Started in 2001, Operation Pa-Tubig has benefited several communities throughout the country.

Free health profiling and screening, medical and nutritional counselling, and educational lay lectures are conducted in urban poor communities to aid in early detection of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity and high cholesterol. By identifying potential NCD cases, Bantay Kalusugan-Alamin at Sugpuin hopes to help control NCDs, which have become silent epidemics, and to promote healthy lifestyles and proper management.

This activity brings together advocates of NCD prevention into a collective activity that promotes walking as a simple but effective way to stop NCD. Participants of the fun walk get to learn and join exercise activities before and after the walk and to avail of healthcare products and services promoting NCD prevention and management.

This activity addresses the problem of malnutrition in children, with the objective of decreasing its occurrence and raising awareness on the importance of good health. Feeding modules for undernourished children are undertaken in selected communities, with mothers engaged in the planning and preparation of meals for the children. Participating children are monitored over a six-month period for weight changes. Through this program, the children’s school attendance is enhanced as their nutritional status improves; while mothers develop skills in preparing simple inexpensive but nutritious meals for their children and gain more awareness of their role in improving the health and nutrition of their children. Other benefits include education of children on self-feeding, hand-washing before and after meals, inclusion of seasonal foods into daily meals, community participation and volunteerism.

MDFI's scholarship program covers tuition, miscellaneous school fees, food and transportation expenses of deserving but financially-challenged pharmacy students enrolled in member schools of the Philippine Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (PACOP). Dependents of soldiers who are in active service, killed in action, incapacitated or died in the line of duty are also beneficiaries of this program.

Eligible to apply are incoming third and fourth year Pharmacy students with a general weighted average of 2.5 and above; of good moral character, single and not more than 21 years old; not on any other scholarship or educational plan; with a combined family income of not more than P250,000 or less per year; and not a dependent of an employee of Mercury Drug Corporation, Mercury Group of Companies or its subsidiaries.

Applications are coursed through the respective PACOP-member school deans who conduct the initial screenings and make the necessary endorsements to MDFI. Final screening and selection is conducted by MDFI.

This recognizes graduating senior high school students excelling in Mathematics and Science. By honoring these students, the program hopes to inspire and encourage them to maximize their potentials for careers in these fields, to pursue higher levels of education, and to contribute to the growth of the country by helping meet the country’s need for leaders trained in these fields. Partner senior high schools set their own selection process by forming an award’s committee composed of the principal or head of the school, teachers of Mathematics and Science of the graduating class, teacher adviser of the senior class organization and school guidance counselor. To quality, the students must excel in Mathematics and/or Science, must be eligible for graduation, be of good moral character and unquestionable integrity.

This supports the bi-annual search of the Philippine Center for Gifted Education, Inc. (PCGE) for gifted Filipino children and youth. Named "Mga Bagong Rizal – Pag-asa ng Bayan" after the Philippines' national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the awardees pledge to model their lives after the principles espoused by Dr. Rizal, namely love for God and country, integrity, valor and excellence in their respective areas of ability, interest and talent. By identifying these children and youth and giving them due recognition, MDFI hopes to motivate them to continuously improve and commit themselves to become the new generation of country’s leaders in the future.

MDFI provides schools with QR Kits – first aid cabinets and emergency kits – complete with essential quick response items, to help ensure the safety and immediate care of children in schools. This initiative supports the Department of Education’s Brigada Eskwela program of preparing school facilities for the opening of classes.

MDFI provides immediate disaster relief, in the form of medicines or hygiene packs, to help victims of calamities or conflicts in their recovery and to reduce the risk of diseases. By actively supporting government rehabilitation programs in critical areas, MDFI helps rebuild lives and assists in the much-needed recovery of affected families.