MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) amended the guidelines to avail of Lingap at Gabay Para sa May Sakit (LinGAP sa MaSa), redefining the program to include the provision of prosthesis, assistive devices, radiology, and chemotherapy, Secretary Virginia N. Orogo said Wednesday.
“Based on the previous guidelines, patients may seek assistance once per quarter, or every three months. With the amended guidelines, patients who are in need of regular medical treatment may seek assistance from the LinGAP sa MaSa program as prescribed by their doctors or with a justification from the medical doctor/physicians and social services as a basis for the provision of additional assistance,” Orogo said in a news release.
LinGAP sa MaSa is the PHP1 billion medical program of President Rodrigo R. Duterte implemented by the DSWD which initially began as a free medicines program.
In amending the guidelines, the DSWD took into consideration the various medical conditions that need continuous treatment on a regular basis.
Orogo added that this is part of DSWD’s continuing efforts to be more responsive to the changing needs of the poor, disadvantaged, and marginalized sectors.
Patients may still avail of medical assistance from the Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to defray medical expenses. The remainder of the bill may be covered under the LinGAP sa MaSa program.
If a patient has a representative who is within the second degree of consanguinity, there is no need to present an authorization letter to avail of the benefits. For other representatives, any valid identification and a written authorization letter signed by the patient will be accepted.
The LinGAP sa MaSa is currently being implemented in 34 hospitals in Regions 3 (Central Luzon), 6 (Western Visayas) , 7 (Central Visayas), 11 (Davao Region), and the National Capital Region (NCR).
Patients in NCR may avail of the program from the following hospitals: UP-Philippine General Hospital; Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center; Philippine Children’s Medical Center; Lung Center of the Philippines; Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital; East Avenue Medical Center; Quirino Memorial Medical Center; Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical; Center; Ospital ng Maynila; Ospital ng Sta.Ana; Ospital ng Tondo; Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital; Ospital ng Sampaloc; Research Institute for Tropical Medicine; Caloocan City Medical Center; Ospital ng Muntinlupa; Philippine Orthopedic Center; Las Pinas General Hospital; Amang Rodriguez Memorial Center.
Hospitals in Region 3 that are implementing the program are: Jose B. Lingad Memorial Hospital; Bulacan Medical Hospital; James L. Gordon Memorial Hospital; Bataan General Hospital; Tarlac Provincial Hospital; President Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Hospital.
For Central Visayas, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City, Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital; Don Emilio Del Valle; Talisay District Hospital; Eversly Child Sanitarium and General Hospital; St. Anthony Mother and Child Hospital and, Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City and Davao Regional Hospital in Tagum City, Davao Region.
The Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City is also implementing the program.
LinGap sa MaSa has already served 69,805 clients, utilizing the total amount of PHP712,588,740.40 as of Sept. 30, 2018. (DSWD PR/PNA)
