At least 7,835 city residents benefited from the online services of the Lingap Para sa Mahirap Assistance Program here last year, an official said Friday.

In a radio interview, John Patrick Celis, the city’s Lingap program head, said the online platform has helped their office decongest and shorten the queues for those who seek assistance.

The Lingap program aims to provide medical, laboratory, funeral, and hospital bill assistance to its residents.

For walk-in clients, Celis said the office receives an estimated 500 clients per day at its main center located at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) four other satellite offices are located in the districts of Marilog, Bunawan, Toril, and Paquibato.

“There are still many walk-in clients, and we endorse them online and teach them how to avail and process it online. Indeed, through the online Lingap, the process is faster,” Celis said.

He said they intend to open another satellite office in the Calinan district within the month.

“The construction of the office is almost done, and we have already hired personnel and trained encoders to welcome the clients,” he said.

Celis said among the innovations targeted this year are the upgrading of the system for faster Lingap processing and the creation of the pharmacy online canvassing system to quickly check available medicine in partner pharmacies.

“This way, clients do not have to go to pharmacies to check the availability of medicines. We are doing our best to provide efficient service to our clients through digitalization,” he said. (PNA)