Benguet hospital gets P5million for poor patients

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — The national government has earmarked P5 million as subsidy for the Benguet General Hospital here as medical assistance for indigent patients of this vegetable-producing province.

Rep. Ronald M. Cosalan, chairman of the House committee on public works, initiated the resumption of the subsidy with a portion of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

Cosalan said health care should be available to everyone and there is a need to infuse funds for the care of indigent patients at the hospital.

The congressman has turned over to the hospital management medicines funded by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office which will be used solely for indigent patients.

Based on the approved guidelines for the subsidy to indigent patients, qualified beneficiaries are entitled to receive P5,000 financial assistance once they are hospitalized or undergo major surgical operation.

With the allocation of the funds for indigent patients, Cosalan is confident that many charity patients of the hospital will be able to get proper medical attention and continue to be productive citizens of the province and contribute to the province’s growth as one of the economic centers in the Cordillera.

The lawmaker underscored the importance of providing financial assistance to indigent patients among constituents, especially those in far-flung communities.