138th Malasakit Center opens in Sulu

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Bong Go welcomed the opening of the 138th Malasakit Center at the Sulu Sanitarium in Jolo, Sulu on Friday.

The Sulu Sanitarium is the eighth hospital in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and second in Jolo to open a Malasakit Center, next to the Sulu Provincial Hospital.

In a message delivered virtually, Go said the center aims to make the government’s medical and financial assistance more accessible to patients who are having difficulty paying for their hospital expenses.

The Malasakit Center brings under one roof government agencies such as the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine Health Insurance Corp. and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office that are tasked to provide financial and medical assistance to indigents.

The program was institutionalized under Republic Act 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which Go principally authored and sponsored in the Senate.

The law mandates all government-run hospitals and the Philippine General Hospital open a Malasakit Center in their premises.

Other public hospitals may establish their own Malasakit Center, provided they meet the criteria and can guarantee the sustainability of its operations.

Go said his office is ready to help patients, who require special medical treatment in hospitals outside Sulu.

He commended the personnel and staff of the Sulu Sanitarium for their dedication in serving the poor.

Go said the government is ramping up its COVID vaccination rollout, noting there were 52.8 million vaccine doses that were delivered to the country as of Sept. 2.

He said bout 14.4 million Filipinos are now fully vaccinated while another 20.2 million have received their first doses.