SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, who is also a health reform crusader, showed support to the recently conducted Patient Convention at the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) on Tuesday, November 19.
Go also highlighted the services offered by the Malasakit Centers, including one at NKTI. The Malasakit Center program serves as a one-stop shop for various government medical assistance programs, streamlining support for those in need.
“Sa mga pasyente, lapitan niyo lang ang Malasakit Center dahil para ‘to sa inyo. Kung may hospital bill kayo, nandiyan ang mga ahensya ng gobyerno na tutulong para mabayaran ito. Tutulungan kayo ng Malasakit Center upang mabayaran ang inyong hospital billing,” Go said.
Established through the initiative of Go, these centers aim to streamline the process of obtaining medical aid from agencies like the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), PhilHealth, and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
Go is the principal author and sponsor of Republic Act No. 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which institutionalized the Malasakit Centers program and has already established 166 centers nationwide. The program has been instrumental in assisting more than 15 million Filipinos, particularly the underprivileged who often struggle to cover medical costs.
By streamlining medical assistance programs, Malasakit Centers significantly reduce the time and effort patients and their families spend seeking help, ensuring quicker and more efficient access to necessary support.
Go also reiterated the need to properly implement Republic Act No. 11959, or the Regional Specialty Centers Act, which he principally sponsored and is one of its authors, to decentralize specialized medical services, making them available in all regions of the country.
Meanwhile, Go’s Malasakit Team provided 150 food packs to patients who attended the said event.
“Patuloy kaming magseserbisyo sa inyo dahil bisyo ko ang magserbisyo at ako ay naniniwala na ang serbisyo sa tao ay serbisyo ‘yan sa Panginoon, serbisyo ‘yan kay Allah,” emphasized Go, known as Mr. Malasakit for his compassionate brand of service.
“Sa mga pasyente, huwag po kayong mawawalan ng pag-asa. Patuloy nating haharapin ang mga pagsubok na ito ng magkakasama. Kasama ninyo kami na nagmamalasakit sa inyong kalagayan. Magtulungan tayo, at sa tulong ng Diyos, malalampasan natin ang mga pagsubok na ito,” he ended.
