DAVAO CITY — The Lingap Para sa Mahirap program delivered medical services to a total of 2,278 people from January to December last year, an official said Friday.

In a radio interview, Joan Paralisan, the online Lingap Services team leader, said the online services include hospital bills, funeral bills, dialysis treatment, laboratory procedures, and medication assistance, among others.

"A considerable number of requests for Lingap assistance comes from non-residents of Davao City. What we do to them is we refer them to other agencies from which they can ask for help," she added.

From the 25 clients it received in November 2021 when the platform first went online, Paralisan said they expect an increase in the number of clients who opted to avail themselves of Lingap services online instead of walk-in transactions.

"For clients who wish to avail themselves of the free services of Lingap online, they must visit the Lingap Para sa Mahirap official Facebook Page. There, they can find the appropriate type of Lingap assistance they want to avail and they will be given a list of requirements they need to provide," she said, adding that, clients need only to take pictures of the said requirements and send them via messenger to the Lingap Facebook page.

"They will send these online. After an online approval, we will send another message letting them know that they can claim their Lingap assistance here," Paralisan said.

She added that clients can claim their assistance in the form of a guarantee letter at the Lingap sa Mahirap main office inside the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) compound.

"We are urging all residents of Davao City, especially dialysis patients that you don't have to come to our office with your papers. If you want to hasten the process, you may send your requirements online," Paralisan said.