THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Davao Region said that the Office of President vowed to replenish the budget allocated for the two hospitals in Davao City for the Lingap sa Mahirap program of the National Government.
DSWD-Davao director Mercedita Jabagat said in an interview that initially, the Office of the President has given them a total of P150 million for the two identified public hospitals here namely the Southern Philippine Medical Center (SPMC) and Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) last March.
She added that to date, there were around P50 million left in the budget as estimated P100 million was already disbursed to assist indigent citizens in their medical expenses.
"From the 150 million na na-transfer nila last March, now there is more than 50 million na lang ang balance for the two hospitals," Jabagat said.
Based on the record of the Davao City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO), there were about 66,000 beneficiaries who received medical assistance from DSWD, Philippine Charity and Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), Lingap sa Mahirap and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor).
"We were instructed to submit a report on the status of our disbursement and according to the OP, they will replenish," she said.
The budget came from the social fund of President Rodrigo Duterte.
She added that during a meeting here, there were amendments on the guidelines for the Lingap at Gabay Para Sa May Sakit program. It will expand and will soon cover prosthetics, assistive devices, diagnostics, laboratory procedures and additional qualified beneficiaries.
The program will provide assistance through the issuance of guarantee letters for the purchase of medicines from hospital pharmacies or from partner drug stores wherein the DSWD will be the lead agency who will manage and implement it and ensure that the programs are properly distributed to indigent citizens.
The SPMC and DRMC are two of the six public hospitals in the country that were chosen to benefit from the program. The Office of the President allotted P1 billion budget for this and each citizen has a limit up to P75,000 only.