The Office of the Congresswoman Ma. Cynthia “Cindi” King Chan in cooperation with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Tingog Partylist is open to accepting requests for medical assistance for Lapu Lapu residents. This is a guide on how to apply for financial and medical assistance for Oponganons, what requirements to submit, and other details.
There are three types of requests for medical assistance being accommodated by Congresswoman Cindi Chan, DSWD-7, and Tingog partylist and they are as follows:
- Medical assistance to buy prescribed medicines.
- Medical assistance to pay hospital bills or promissory notes.
- Medical assistance to pay for laboratory requests, imaging requests, and such.
The patient or her/his representative may submit the documents in the office of Congresswoman Cindi, located inside the Lapu Lapu City Hall Tourism Office.
These are the basic requirements, meaning, the patient or patient’s representative will need to submit all these:
- Voter’s Certificate of the representative – get from COMELEC
- Barangay Residency Certificate of the representative – get from your barangay
- Barangay Indigency Certificate of the representative – get from your barangay
- Photocopy of a valid government ID of the representative
- Photocopy of a valid government ID of the patient
**If the patient will process herself/himself, then all the requirements above will be of the patient, i.e. patient’s residency certificate, etc.
Now, the next requirement will depend on what type of medical request you are going to request.
BUY MEDICINES
If you want assistance to buy medicines prescribed to the patient – submit a current Rx or prescription from the patient’s doctor. Make sure that the medicines have not been bought yet. It is best that the date of the Rx or prescription is of the same month you are applying for medical assistance. Example you will apply this September 2023, ask the doctor for an Rx dated September 2023.
Also submit a formal quotation of the prescribed medicines. You can ask pharmacies like Watsons, Rose Pharmacy, South Star Drug, etc for a formal quotation, you can also ask drug distributors like Globo Asiatico, Complete Solution, One Essential Pharma Corporation, etc.
Also submit a medical certificate stating the diagnosis of the patient, the doctor’s name, contact information, and license number. The date of the medical certificate is ideally the same month you are going to ask for medical assistance.
PAY FOR LABORATORY or IMAGING SCANS
If you will request medical assistance to pay for laboratory or lab tests, or imaging tests like bone scan, MRI, CT Scan, PET scan, TVS, whole abdominal ultrasound etc – submit a current laboratory or imaging request from the patient’s doctor. Make sure that the laboratory test or imaging scan have not been done yet.
You also need to submit a formal quotation for the laboratory test or imaging tests needed. You can get this from hospitals like Mactan Doctors, UC Med, Chong Hua, etc or laboratory like Hi-Precision. Take note of who prepared the quotation and ask for her or his designation, as this may be asked of you if not clearly indicated on the paper. Usually, the one who will prepare the quotation is the billing clerk, patient facilitator, or patient care representative.
Also submit a medical certificate stating the diagnosis of the patient, the doctor’s name, contact information, and license number. The date of the medical certificate is ideally the same month you are going to ask for medical assistance. Example: You will request for medical assistance for MRI in November 2023, the doctor’s request for MRI and medical certificate is ideally dated also in November 2023.
PAY HOSPITAL BILL
If you will request medical assistance to pay a hospital bill or a promissory note of a patient, you need to submit the updated hospital statement of account (SOA) signed by the billing or admission clerk. Also submit a photocopy of the promissory note, if there is one, as additional proof that patient has not fully paid the hospital for the confinement.
Submit all original copies of the documents except for the valid ID and promissory note. The original promissory note will remain in the hospital, so you can request the hospital staff for a photocopy or certified true copy.
Also submit a medical certificate stating the diagnosis of the patient, the doctor’s name, contact information, and license number. The date of the medical certificate is ideally the same month you are going to ask for medical assistance.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Depending on the case, the processing staff may ask you to submit additional documents to support the medical assistance request. Visit the Office of Congresswoman Cindi Chan for further information.
CAN ANYONE APPLY?
Can those who are not residents of Lapu Lapu apply for medical assistance in the Office of the Congresswoman Cindi Chan? NO. This benefit is only for the Oponganons. But it’s okay because you can go to the congressman or congresswoman of your place or go directly to the local government unit city hall or municipal hall. LGUs usually have programs for those facing health crisis and require medical assistance.
HOW MUCH WILL ONE GET?
A Guarantee Letter (GL) or cash will be given to those who passed evaluation and are approved for the medical assistance. How much will the patient get? The amount that will be given will depend on how much is needed based on the submitted prescription, laboratory tests or special imaging quotation, or hospital bill balance. Usually, the maximum amount that may be released to a client / patient is P10,000 but this can go higher depending on the situation and assessment conducted by the staff of the Congresswoman, Tingog Partylist, and DSWD.
HOW LONG IS THE PROCESSING?
If client can submit complete requirements, client will be interviewed by a Tingog Partylist representative and will then be endorsed to a DSWD facilitator. Usually, the money or GL will be released within 7 working days. Sometimes there are delays, especially if there are lots of applicants. Just be patient and hope for approval.
WHEN CAN ONE APPLY AGAIN?
The patient or her/his representative may apply again 3 months after getting approved for the medical assistance, provided that patient can submit new documents or is facing a new health issue and can submit complete requirements.
Thank you to DSWD, Tingog Partylist, and especially Congresswoman Cindi Chan for having this program for beloved Oponganons, and for facilitating the processing, evaluation, and approval of qualified applicants. Dako kaayong tabang!
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