THE Iloilo City Government Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) continues to provide identification cards (IDs) and purchase booklets to incapable, bedridden, and hospitalized senior citizens even those in jail, through its Mobile Service Program.
“The government must find more ways to help the senior citizens since they are the ones facing more crisis especially in health. They use medical care facilities more often and their IDs and booklets are very useful for them to avail of the privileges but still, some of them don’t have one. We should reach out to those who can’t come to OSCA for registration,” Mayor Jose Espinosa III said.
OSCA head, Elipidio Azuelo Jr. said, the office sends three to four staff every day to hospitals and barangays to conduct ID registration processing.
“Our personnel take photo and thumb mark of those who are hospitalized, help them fill out the form and bring the IDs to them after being processed. We also do that to the bedridden, inmates, and other senior citizens who are incapable to move,” Azuelo added.
Beneficiaries of OSCA ID can avail lifetime benefits and privileges which include free medical, dental, diagnostic and laboratory services in all government facilities.
Twenty percent discount on medical, dental, diagnostic and laboratory services in private facilities; 20 percent discount for medicines, in hotels, restaurants, recreation centers; 20 percent discount for domestic air, sea and public transportation; 5 percent discount for basic and prime commodities on limited items; 12 percent discount for VAT exemption in purchase of goods; and 5 percent discount in utilization of water and electricity provided that consumption is under the name of the senior citizen. (PR)