BATAAN CAPITOL — Governor Abet S. Garcia has assured that the provincial government of Bataan will help shoulder the hospital bills of indigent COVID patients confined at the Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC).
“This is the purpose why the BGHMC was designed, purely to look after COVID-19 patients,” said Gacia.
Garcia’s assurance came following reports so Bataeńos were reluctan to be confined at hospitals or be tested for COVID for fear of the medical expenses.
Reports said that a COVID patient’s medical expenses could range between P750,000 to millions of pesos.
Garcia also pointed out that since BGHMC has been designated for COVID patienta only, “we have had an agreement with private hospitals throughout Bataan that the provincial government and Congressman Joet Garcia will help the indigent patients in their hospital bills,” saying “ may babayaran man sila ay konti na lang.”
Garcia said the initiative aims to support indigent residents who will need emergency medical services amid the closure of the out-patient department of the Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) which is now exclusively for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.
“Expenses at the hospital for indigent residents of Balanga City will be shouldered by the city government, while hospital bills of other residents in Bataan from other towns will be covered by the provincial government,” Garcia stated.
The governor stressed that the Centro Medico, a private partner hospital of BGHMC, will only cater to patients who have no COVID-19 symptoms.
“The provincial government has been providing rapid tests kits to immediately identify if the incoming patient has COVID-19, in case that patient is not under the list of probable or suspected cases,” he added.
Registered social workers from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office were assigned to the hospitals to assess patients who can be considered as an indigent person, the governor added.
