A P5-million check was turned over by Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go and Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Sec. Michael Lloyd Dino to Governor Esteban Evan B. Contreras during the blessing and inauguration, February 17, of the Malasakit Center for Capiz established at Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital in Capiz.
The newly opened one-stop-shop for medical and financial assistance facility is the 63rd in the government’s chain of Malasakit Centers nationwide.
It houses desk representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and the Department of Health (DOH) to streamline the process of the needed medical assistance.
“Zero balance billing is the target of the Malasakit Center for indigent Filipino patients,” stressed Sen. Go, adding that the remaining balance will be shouldered by the center if a hospital bill could not be settled out of a combined PhilHealth deduction and financial assistance from concerned government agencies as well as local officials.
The Senator noted that he will augment his allocation from the Senate’s Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients Program to ensure that the P5-million monthly assistance will be adequate among poor and indigent patients.
The Malasakit Center is one of the major projects of the Duterte Administration which primarily aims to help the poor and indigent Filipinos.
In December 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11463 or the Malasakit Center Act which establishes the Malasakit Program and institutionalizes Malasakit Centers in DOH and other government hospitals in the country.
The law seeks to make it more convenient and accessible for Filipinos seeking medical and financial assistance from the government by putting all concerned agencies under one roof./ALEX LUMAQUE, PIA-Capiz
