Malasakit Center in Novaliches opens

Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go witnessed the opening of the 46th Malasakit Center in the country on Friday at the Novaliches District Hospital in Quezon City.

In his speech, Go said that the Malasakit Center is intended to bring the services of the government closer to Filipinos who are sick.

Malasakit Center is an office where patients or their representatives can apply for financial assistance from concerned government agencies, namely, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Department of Health (DoH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

The first Malasakit Center was launched at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu in February 2018, when Go was serving as the Special Assistant to the President.

Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, presidential assistant for the Visayas, currently leads the program and was with Go, along with Quezon City officials, at the launch of the Malasakit Center in Novaliches.

Go also mentioned that a Malasakit Center has been opened before at the Lung Center of the Philippines, also in Quezon City.

The senator also expressed his support for health care professionals, especially nurses, adding that they are included in a bill that he filed in the Senate that seeks to modify the salary schedule for civilian government personnel.