• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Close to P195 million worth of financial assistance had been availed of by more than 18,000 patient-beneficiaries under the Bacolod City Comprehensive Health Program (BacCHP), outgoing Mayor Alfredo Benitez said.
Benitez, in his third and final State of the City Address June 25, said there are more than 91,000 BacCHP cardholders, with 300,000 registered members and dependents, as of June 2.
BacCHP, the flagship health program of the Benitez administration, officially started in May 2023, and partnered with Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital and private healthcare institutions Bacolod Queen of Mercy Hospital, South Bacolod General Hospital, Riverside Medical Center Inc., Bacolod Adventist Medical Center, The Doctors’ Hospital, and Metro Bacolod Hospital and Medical Center.
“The goal was simple: we wanted to make sure that regardless of status in life, no Bacolodnon would be denied hospital care. Basta may BacCHP card, these hospitals will acknowledge an automatic hospitalization fund,” Benitez said.
“No need to go to City Hall for long lines or paperwork. Help is already in place—right where you need it most,” he stressed, adding that the nationwide implementation of this health program is one of his legislative priorities in Congress.
The Department of Health, meanwhile, provided P50 million in assistance, which was distributed to the partner-hospitals to ensure the continuity of BacCHP, the mayor added. | CGC
