255K individuals received P2B PCSO medical aid in 2022
THE Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has provided more than P2 billion worth of direct assistance to more than 250,000 individuals with health-related problems seeking financial help in 2022 through its flagship Medical Assistance Program (MAP).
“True to our mission of providing responsive assistance to eligible recipients and beneficiaries, the PCSO has helped hundreds of thousands of poor patients deal with costly medical expenses incurred from treatment or confinement,” PCSO chairman Junie E. Cua said.
“This is in line with the continuing efforts of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to enhance and strengthen the country’s healthcare system and sustain the gains achieved in 2021 to fully reopen the economy,” he added.
According to the PCSO’s 2022 accomplishment report, the agency directly assisted 255,520 indigents and financially incapacitated individuals under the MAP with P2,012,581,440.96 in assistance last year.
The assistance was provided in partnership with government and private hospitals, health facilities, medicine retailers, and other partners.
The total is broken down to the Regular MAP through the PCSO offices (210,731 beneficiaries with P1,395,310,206.43 in assistance); and Medical Access in Malasakit Centers (MAM) with 44,789 beneficiaries given P617,271,234.53 worth of assistance.
Since the signing of the Malasakit Center Act (RA 11463) in 2019, which seeks to establish Malasakit Centers in hospitals run by the Department of Health (DOH) nationwide, the PCSO has been able to establish 129 PCSO Desks out of 153 Malasakit Centers by the end of 2022.
Cua noted that the highest number of requests for assistance received by PCSO were for cost of confinement, with 131,754 requests (P1.28 billion), followed by erythropoietin (dialysis injection), with 84,535 requests (P337 million) and 23,624 requests (P241.8 million) for chemo drugs.
“Kung ating titignan, ito yung tatlong masasabi natin na pinakamabigat na pasanin ng ating mga kababayang mahihirap na nagkakasakit at nangangailangan ng tulong pinansyal. We are happy to note that we have been able to serve many of our needy kababayans through the MAP,” Cua said.
Meanwhile, other services covered by the program are specialty medicines, hemodialysis, laboratory (blood chemistry), diagnostic, and imaging procedures, and implant/medical devices.
“Inaasahan po natin na sa mga darating na panahon, mas marami pa ang ating matutulungan sa pamamagitan ng mga innovations na magpapabilis sa paghatid ng mas epektibng serbisyo sa ating mga kababayang nangangailangan,” the PCSO chairman said.
“Maaasahan niyo po na sa ilalim ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Marcos, ang PCSO ay laging handa sa pagtulong sa kapwa,” Cua said.
