MARGINALIZED patients who are admitted at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) yet still can’t afford healthcare services may soon avail themselves of medical assistance from the Cebu Provincial Government.
The Provincial Board (PB) passed on Aug. 5, 2019 a resolution authorizing Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the VSMMC in relation to the Capitol’s medical and hospitalization services program.
The measure was filed by fourth district PB Member Kerrie Keane Shimura, who heads the committee on public health and social services.
Through its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (Aics) program, the Capitol aims to provide medical help by shouldering hospitalization expenses, medicine purchases, laboratory procedures, assistive medical devices and other medical expenses.
The Aics is a program adopted by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office.
It was originally a program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and a part of the DSWD’s technical assistance and resource augmentation support to local government units by providing services to the poor, marginalized and vulnerable individuals.
Agreement
Under the draft MOA, the VSMMC would make available its facilities to clients of the Province who may require hospitalization and emergency treatment.
The Province, on the other hand, would comply with the procedures and requirements in the treatment, admission for hospitalization and discharge of its clients.
Clients of the Capitol would be identified through financial assistance forms.
The hospital would also waive the requirement for partial payment from the Province’s clients, provided that upon admission, their financial assistance forms are presented.
The form should include the details of the patient and allowable amount.
But even with the financial assistance form, the VSMMC may require additional payment from the patient if the financial standing is over and above the amount guaranteed by the Capitol based on credit investigation.
Item 12 of the draft MOA provides that in case of mounting overdue accounts left unpaid for a period of more than 90 working days, unpaid due accounts would be subjected to an interest rate of 10 percent per annum from receipt of the statement of account.
The hospital also has the option to temporarily suspend the charge accounts until the outstanding bills have been settled, provided that a written notice is served to the Province. (RTF)