PCSO provides medical assistance to 60,779 indigent patients

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) provided more than PHP400 million worth of assistance to at least 60,000 Filipinos through its Medical Assistance Program (MAP) in the first three months of the year.

In a news release, PCSO chairman Junie E. Cua said 60,779 indigents with health-related problems were provided assistance worth PHP410,427,957 through its flagship MAP.

"Asahan po ninyo na tuloy-tuloy lang ang PCSO sa adhikain nitong matulungan ang sambayanang Pilipino. Paiigtingin pa natin ang serbisyo para mas marami pang kababayan natin ang makinabang (Rest assured that PCSO will continue with its advocacy to help the Filipino people. We will continue to strengthen our services to benefit more of our countrymen)," he said.

MAP covers various requests for fund augmentation for medical concerns, such as confinement, dialysis injection, cancer treatment, hemodialysis, laboratory, diagnostic, and imaging procedures, and implant and medical devices, among others.

The MAP is taken from the Charity Fund, which comprises 30 percent of net receipts and used exclusively to finance and support health programs, medical assistance and services, and/or charities of national character.

The PCSO generates funds through sweepstakes, horse races, lotteries and similar activities.

Cua expressed optimism that the agency would be able to serve more Filipinos this year and exceed the figures it had posted in 2022.

Last year, the PCSO released PHP1,395,310,206 to 210,731 beneficiaries.

"We are aggressively looking for ways to generate more revenue in compliance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s marching order to continue pushing the envelope for the benefit of our people. So hopefully, these efforts will bear fruit and we will be able to help more Filipino families," Cua said.