Galing health cards for Bataan folk

BALANGA CITY – Some 1,020 less -rivileged families in 25 barangays here have received health cards yesterday for them to have access to government health facilities and social services at affordable cost.

City Mayor Jose Enrique “Joet “ Garcia 111 told The STAR that the city government had signed a memorandum of agreement with the Bataan General Hospital and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. to grant 8,000 families of health insurance coverage during their sickness or hospitalization.

In his short speech during the Monday flag-ceremony, Garcia said the parties acknowledged their joint responsibility to provide a health package of needed health services for the social and economic well-being of the people of the city specifically the marginalized and underprivileged through the implementation of the “Galing Card.”

He said the Galing Card Program, a special health service for enrolled members at the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) “ Medicare para sa Masa” for them to be confined at Bataan General Hospital.

Garcia explained that the regular in-patient medicare package include hospital benefits for room and board, medicines, laboratory and professional fees.

The Galing Card coverage includes the head of the family and extended to the legitimate spouse, non-member children below 21 years old, unmarried and unemployed, and parents 60 year old above, Garcia said.

According to Garcia, the city government will provide doctors to Bataan General Hospital who will be assigned to different departments where their service will be most needed by Galing Card patients and to continuously provide quality medicines and medical supplies.  – Raffy Viray