BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Provincial Economic Consultant on Economic Affairs Alfredo “Albee” Benitez yesterday bared his plans of bringing the much successful Negros Occidental Comprehensive Health Program (NOCHP) to Bacolod City, if elected as mayor of Bacolod City.
Benitez and the late Gov. Alfredo Maranon Jr. were both instrumental in the implementation of NOCHP in Negros Occidental since 2010. He said the health program is one of the most crucial and needed programs in any local government unit.
NOCHP provides free hospitalization and related to medical services to indigents in all government managed hospitals in Negros Occidental.
Since Bacolod City has yet to have a government managed hospital, Benitez said he will sit down with owners of private hospitals for the recognition of health cards to be issued to poorest of the poor Bacoleños, which is to be called BCCHP (Bacolod City Comprehensive Health Program).
Aside from being able to access government hospitals, they will be able to use it in private hospitals, Benitez, who attended yesterday the turnover and blessing of Human Milk Bank at the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, said.
Private hospitals, by law, must provide 10 percent of their bed capacity for “no balance billing” to the poorest of the poor, he stressed.
To access that, in compliance of the law, we will coordinate with management of private hospitals through BCCHP. That is exactly what we are working on, Benitez further said.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier signed into law RA 11564 authored by Rep. Greg Gasataya, that aims to establish the Bacolod City General Hospital.*
