TWO satellite offices of the Government Service Insurance System will rise in eastern and western Pangasinan within this year, it was gathered Thursday.

Assistant Manager Lotgardo Hernandez of the Dagupan branch told the Patrima Kapihan at the Philippine Information Agency office that the satellite offices manned by a five-man team each will be established in Sual and in Urdaneta City.

The idea is to make it easier for GSIS clients from far-flung sections of the province to make transactions like processing of loans and claims and other benefits. Non-life insurance transactions on fire, accident, and motor vehicle will however still be conducted at the Dagupan branch office, he clarified.

In the meantime, GSIS maintains service desks in different towns for the release of pension checks to benefit especially aged pensioners. On the first Monday of the week, the service desk in Bani is open to cater to pensioners from the western corridor; Sual on Tuesday; Tayug, Wednesday; Urdaneta, Thursday; and Burgos, Friday .

The GSIS-issued multi-purpose e-Card – an identification card for the member, which is also used for ATM bank transactions, and as debit card in the purchase of goods at stores that accept Visa cards – will be enhanced with the addition of safety nets to become “e-Card plus,” Hernandez said.

Under the special GSIS hospitalization program, an e-Card holder can automatically avail of 50 percent discount for the use of state-of-the-art hospital equipment in participating hospitals like the Lorma Medical Center in La Union.

GSIS members can also avail of discounts of 30 to 40 percent from the hospital’s other services to include board and lodging and professional fees.

Under such hospitalization program, the state insurance firm provides the high-end equipment to the participating hospitals for the latter to give discounted charges to public employees who can hardly afford medical services using such costly machines. No private or public hospital from Pangasinan has agreed to such an arrangement yet, it was learned.

Meanwhile, social insurance officer Jesse Fernandez, who also joined the assistant manager in the media forum, urged government personnel to avail of the firm’s non-life insurance packages on motor vehicle, fire, and accident, which he said involve lower premiums than those provided by other insurance firms.

Unlike some fly-by-night insurance companies, processing of claims at GSIS is sure and efficient, he added.