San Carlos City Ups Hospital Assistance

The City Government of San Carlos thru Mayor Renato Y. Gustilo, has implemented an amended Executive Order updating the city’s Hospitalization Assistance Program, which aims to provide adequate and accessible medical and hospital care services to residents.

Under the revised program, qualified beneficiaries may avail of up to ₱15,000 per person per year for hospitalization assistance and ₱10,000 per family per year for outpatient assistance.

Qualified beneficiaries include senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities (PWDs), persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), children below 18 years old, children in conflict with the law (CICL), indigent families with minor children, local government unit (LGU) job order personnel, and residents who meet the required residency and voter registration qualifications.

San Carlos City Hospital Administrative Officer Charlen Pol Anlap said the previous ₱10,000 hospitalization assistance approved in 2021 was increased to ₱15,000 per person per year through the mayor’s Executive Order, allocating ₱13,000 for hospital bills and ₱2,000 for going home medicines.

Anlap added that the City Hospital proposed the amendment to further strengthen healthcare services in the city and ensure that residents, particularly those most in need, receive adequate support from the local government.

She also explained that beneficiaries must first undergo consultation with an SCCH physician and secure a prescription before proceeding to the Indigency Office for evaluation and enrollment instructions, after which they will be issued an identification card valid for one year and renewable annually, which they may use for future hospitalizations without undergoing another evaluation process; the assistance will not be released in cash but will instead be directly deducted to hospital bills.

The program’s budget was approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod under the leadership of Vice Mayor Christopher Paul Carmona and will be fully implemented on Monday, Feb. 16.* (San Carlos City, Negros Occ. LGU Information Page text & photos)