Sorsogon City--The provincial government of Sorsogon has started distributing PhilHealth cards to indigents and the underprivileged during the conduct of the Provincial Mobile Services Caravan (PMCS) in Irosin last week.
Recipients of the PhilHealth card automatically make them members of the Sponsored Indigent Program (SIP) under the Medicare Para sa Masa Program (MPMP) of the governor, which entitles them to various health benefits. These include primary consultations with general physicians; laboratory services such as chest x-ray, complete blood count and urinalysis; and subsidized hospital services including surgery, room and board.
In Irosin alone, 4,911 have qualified for the SIP. Constituents in the municipalities of Barecelona, Bulan, Bulusan, Casiguran, Castilla, Donsol, Gubat, Juban, Magallanes, Matnog, Pilar, Prieto Diaz and Sta. Magdalena are also covered by the MPMP which Gov. Lee has entered into with the PhilHealth.
The provincial government is allocating funds as subsidies to supplement those provided by the National Government, which shall be administered by the PhilHealth. Lee announced that annually, the provincial government will be remitting P21,607,190 million to cover healthcare services for 46,487 beneficiaries throughout the province.
Earlier, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office and the Municipal Social Welfare Offices have identified and evaluated individuals that are eligible for the program according to requirements, among them that they must belong to families whose annual per capita incomes do not exceed P12,167 if they reside in 1st to 3rd class municipalities and P15,530 in 4th to 5th class municipalities.
Gov. Sally Lee said that by putting the entire province under the MPMP, her pledge to deliver essential health services, particularly hospital and surgery services that the underprivileged are unable to avail of, is fulfilled. (MAIB Sorsogon/PIA)