CEBU 4th District Rep. Benhur Salimbangon recently signed an agreement with the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD-7) for the use P3 million from his Priority Assistance Development Fund to aid indigent individuals and families in his district.
The funds will cover expenses for medical treatment, medicine, laboratories, diagnostic procedures and other health requirements.
The congressman said this concern has been conceived to help alleviate the laboratory and diagnostic expenses incurred by his constituents, especially those who cannot afford to cope with high cost of medication.
Salimbangon clarified that maximum assistance given to a client is P25,000.
He said those confined in private hospitals are not covered by the program unless they could show a certification from a government hospital stating that they could not be accommodated due to its full capacity.
Laboratory examinations in private hospitals and/or testing centers are also not allowed unless government hospitals and clinics will certify that such procedure is not available.
Salimbangon said the challenges the DSWD is facing in helping the poor is no doubt a demonstration of the government’s move to make a difference for the poor constituents.