Bong Go urges DOH to bolster gov’t health services initiatives
Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, urged Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro "Ted" Herbosa during a Commission on Appointments (CA) hearing on Tuesday, 26 September, to bolster its initiatives towards providing better health services, especially in the grassroots and particularly for poor and indigent patients needing government support.
Among those mentioned by Go are the continuing operations of Malasakit Centers in accordance with the law, the establishment of more Super Health Centers in strategic locations nationwide, and the proper implementation of the recently enacted Regional Specialty Centers Act.
"Sa inyong palagay, nakakatulong ba ang Malasakit Centers sa mga mahihirap nating kababayan? At hindi ba napapabayaan ang mga pasyente?" Go said during the Commission on Appointments hearing on the ad interim appointment of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa which Go presided on that day.
As a response, Herbosa highlighted the significant number of patients served by the centers.
"Ang pinakamarami dito sa NCR, almost 607,000 at more than 200,000 sa iba't ibang region. Almost every region is over 100,000 to 200,000 patients served," Herbosa answered.
The senator also appealed to the DOH to ensure that poor and indigent patients are given the utmost attention in public hospitals. Go cited a recent department memorandum signed by Herbosa instructing medical center chiefs to ensure that all patients must be accorded with the available services in Malasakit Centers.
"Ang mga social workers doon sa loob ng Malasakit Centers — at ako mismo pagpupunta ako doon — sinasabihan ko talaga ang mga social workers, 'Isa lang ang pakiusap ko sa inyo, as chairman ng Committee on Health, huwag niyo pabayaan ang mga mahihirap na pasyente'," Go said.
The Malasakit Centers consist of various agencies offering medical assistance programs including the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), DOH, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
These centers were institutionalized under Republic Act No. 11463, principally authored and sponsored by Go. According to DOH, more than seven million indigent patients have already benefitted from the 159 Malasakit Centers established nationwide.