Go to push more pro-health measures in Senate

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Bong Go has vowed to push more measures that ensure better healthcare services across the country, particularly in rural areas where medical facilities need inprovement.

Go, chair of the Senate committee on health, made the remark during the inauguration of the new capitol building in Palo, Leyte on Thursday.

During the event, Go personally witnessed the turnover of financial assistance from the Office of the President (OP), which is intended for the development of the health sector in Biliran, Leyte and Southern Leyte as well as the Samar provinces.

The assistance, amounting to P792.5 million, was sourced from the OP’s socio-civic projects fund and included budget for the development of the Governor Benjamin T. Romualdez General Hospital and Schistosomiasis Center, both in Palo town, as well as the Eastern Visayas Medical Center in Tacloban.

Eight other provincial hospitals will also benefit from the financial assistance.

Apart from the development of the healthcare facilities, the financial aid will also be used to procure medical equipment such as computerized tomography or CT scan machine, ultrasound machine and laboratory equipment for the towns of Mahaplag, Bato and Javier, and Baybay City.

Go commended the medical frontliners for their dedication and sacrifices to help curb the pandemic.

He appealed again to the next leaders of the country to continue expanding the Malasakit Centers, saying these have helped more than three million Filipinos.

“We have 151 Malasakit Centers across the country that are ready to help you. I hope the next administration will continue and improve these centers as these are a big help to the poor,” Go said.