Bong Go opens 114th Malasakit Center

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Bong Go personally attended the launch of the 114th Malasakit Center at the Batangas Medical Center in Batangas City on Thursday.

It is the second Malasakit Center in the province after the Batangas Provincial Hospital in Lemery launched its own on Jan. 8, 2019.

In his speech, Go reaffirmed his commitment to push for policies that will improve access to health care services, noting that low-income Filipinos receive poor quality of health care.

“Our goal is to make life comfortable for our fellow Filipinos, lalo na sa panahon ngayon na marami ang nangangailangan ng tulong medikal,” he said.

“Wala ng dahilan para tanggihan ang ating mga kababayan dahil nasa loob na ng ospital ang mga ahensya ng gobyerno na tutulong para sa kanilang babayaran. Wala itong pinipili. Para ito sa mga poor at indigent na mga pasyente,” the senator said.

The Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop, which brings together the Departments of Health and Social Welfare and Development, Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, from which Filipinos could seek medical assistance.

Go said his experience working with the indigent patients in Davao City spurred him to launch the first Malasakit Center at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City in 2018. He was was special assistant to the President at the time.