Monday, August 17, 2009

Davao City Residents Get Free Medical Care Cards




Lawyer Karlo Nograles, son and chief of staff of House Speaker Prospero Nograles, leads the distribution of Philippine Health Care Cards to residents of Davao City's first congressional district on Saturday, August 15, 2009. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Geo Solmerano)



DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / August 17, 2009) – Hundreds of villagers in the southern Filipino city of Davao have received free medical care cards from House Speaker Prospero Nograles.

Nograles’ son and chief of staff, lawyer Karlo Nograles, led the weekend distribution of the PhilHealth cards mostly to poor residents of the city’s first congressional district where the solon belongs.

The distribution of the medical care cards was held at the covered court in the village of Matina.

The cards will provide its holders with free medical care from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, an attached agency under the Department of Health.

The young Nograles said it was part of his father’s “Oplan Kaalam” program which will benefit poor families.

“Having a PhilHealth card is a great help especially to the poor because they can use this card in their hospitalization,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the money paid to avail the cards came from the solon’s Priority Development Assistance Fund.

The lawyer said thousands of PhilHealth cards were already released to local residents in recent years.

The distribution of PhilHealth cards was originally started by President Gloria Arroyo and continued by the House Speaker to help the poor, who cannot afford to pay the medical care premiums.

With the PhilHealth card, the enrolled families may avail themselves of the regular hospitalization benefit package provided by the agency in any of its accredited hospitals and other institutional health care providers in the country. (Geo Solmerano)

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