THE Office of the Vice President (OVP) - Cebu City Satellite Office released more than P27 million in medical and burial assistance last year.
Vice President Sara Duterte’s spokesman Reynold Munsayac told reporters in a media briefing on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at the Casino Español de Cebu that a qualified beneficiary received P20,000 in medical assistance in the form of a guarantee letter, adding that the OVP also extended P5,000 in burial assistance per recipient.
He said guarantee letters were sent to pharmacies and hospitals to cover the cost of medicine and hospitalization bills.
“We have a partnership with the Department of Health (DOH) for the ‘Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients’ program. If the hospitals are accredited, the medical assistance will exceed the amount of P20,000, which can help them with their hospital bills,” said Munsayac, who visited Cebu City to unveil the OVP’s programs.
To avail themselves of the program, potential beneficiaries can visit the satellite office at Escario Central in Barangay Kamputhaw, Cebu City, or download application forms from the OVP’s official website.
“For the OVP’s program, we already have a partnership with private hospitals, not just government hospitals, as long as the private hospital is willing to accept a guarantee letter from the OVP, then we can extend help,” Munsayac said.
“For hospital bills that are too high, we refer them to the DOH program. The assistance exceeds P20,000, and sometimes there is even a zero balance,” he added.
Munsayac further said the OVP has allocated P100 million for the Cebu City satellite office, and this fund can be used in medical and burial assistance and other programs of the Vice President.
The spokesman said they can reallocate funds from other satellite offices to the Cebu City satellite office “if there are too many people requesting help here,” and the fund “can even exceed P100 million in a year.”
The OVP is targeting three more satellite offices in addition to the existing offices in the cities of Dagupan, Tacloban, Bacolod, Cebu, Surigao, Zamboanga and Davao.