Salimbangon increases benefits for card holders

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Fourth District constituents and holders of Benhur Health Cards may now avail of higher health care benefits at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

In a memorandum of agreement signed between Cebu Fourth District Representative Benhur Salimbangon and VSMMC, represented by medical center chief, Dr. Gerardo Aquino, the P10,000 for major surgery is now increased to P20,000 per patient.

“Based on our assessment, gamay ra gyud ang P10,000. So, we decided to increase it to P20,000 per patient,” Salimbangon said in a press conference after the MOA signing.

Aquino said that for the past several years, Salimbangon has given more than P30 million as financial assistance to the hospital that has greatly helped a lot of indigent patients from the district.

Salimbangon’s Benhur Health Program provides access to free hospitalization and medical assistance for almost all constituents in the fourth district.

With the card, a patient can avail of at least P3,000 for out-patient and hospital confinement; P5,000 for minor operations and the newly increased P20,000 for major surgeries.

“The card is given to my constituents regardless of political color. Wala ni pamolitika,” said Salimbangon.

Fourth district covers the city of Bogo and the towns of Medellin, Daan Bantayan, Bantayan, Sta. Fe and Madridejos.

Marie Daphne Salimbangon, the overall Fourth district coordinator, said seeing the positive response of the people in the district with her father’s health card and how this has benefitted the poor people, said she plans to have a health card called “Bogo City Health Card”, if she will be elected as mayor in the said city.

The 40-year-old mayoralty candidate said that a lot of constituents in the city needs to have a better health care by providing necessary medicines in every barangay health centers. (FREEMAN)