126th Malasakit Center launched
True to his word of extending a helping hand to those who are in need of financial assistance for their medical expenses, Senator Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go virtually launched the 126th Malasakit Center in the country held at the Mindanao Central Sanitarium in Zamboanga City on Monday.
The Malasakit Center is the second opened in the city and sixth in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
Other nearby locations of Malasakit Centers include the Zamboanga City Medical Center, Dr. Jose Rizal Memorial Center in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte Medical Center in Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Sur Medical Center in Pagadian City, and Margosatubig Regional Hospital in Margosatubig, Zamboanga del Sur.
In his speech, the senator recounted his experience working with indigent patients who could not afford the medical care that they deserved and noted that patients living in rural and low-income areas often went without care due to financial and transportation barriers.
With that experience, Go initiated the first Malasakit Center at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City in 2018 — a one-stop shop which connects patients with the various national agencies that offer medical assistance, namely PhilHealth, PCSO, Department of Health, and Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The Malasakit Centers program was established under the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which Go principally authored and sponsored. Since the pioneering launch, the centers have assisted more than two million patients altogether.
Go, who also chairs of the Senate Committee on Health, encouraged hospital staff members to persevere with dedication amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.