Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Tuesday, 18 June, had his Malasakit Team attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Santa Cruz Super Health Center in Marinduque as part of the senator’s commitment to bring the government closer to more disadvantaged Filipinos, particularly in healthcare.
Alongside the Department of Health (DOH), Go has been consistently pushing for the establishment of Super Health Centers nationwide, underscoring that the facilities are solutions to improve the delivery of effective healthcare to communities.
In line with his role as Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Go previously cited that the government has allocated necessary funds to construct more than 700 Super Health Centers throughout the country.
“Ako naman bilang inyong Senate Committee Chair on Health ay handa po makinig at tumulong sa inyo kung ano man po ang makakatulong sa inyong munisipyo at sa probinsya po ng Marinduque,” cited Go in a message.
“Alam nyo po napakalawak po ng probinsya ng Marinduque. Minsan po may mga emergency patient at para hindi pa sila lumayo, doon na po sila maaaring magpagamot sa mga Super Health Centers,” he explained.
Highlighting how the previous pandemic served as a wake-up call for the government to increase investments in healthcare, Go emphasized the critical importance of ensuring that Filipinos, particularly those in remote areas, have access to quality medical services.
The Super Health Center is a “medium version” of a polyclinic yet an improved version of the rural health unit. The center will offer services like database management, out-patient, birthing, isolation, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray, ultrasound), pharmacy, and ambulatory surgical unit. Other available services are eye, ear, nose, and throat (EENT) service, oncology centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation centers, and telemedicine.
During the groundbreaking, the Malasakit Team provided grocery packs, snacks, shirts, and basketballs and volleyballs to healthcare workers in attendance.
Go likewise offered medical assistance to those with health concerns. He encouraged them to visit Marinduque Provincial Hospital in Boac where there is a Malasakit Center available to assist them with settling hospital expenses.
The Malasakit Centers program is a brainchild of Go that aims to provide poor and indigent patients convenient access to medical assistance programs by Department of Social Welfare and Developmemt, DOH, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and the Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office. The program has now established 165 centers and benefitted more or less ten million Filipinos nationwide since it was initiated in 2018.
Go principally authored and sponsored Republic Act No. 11463.
“Ang importante, makabigay tayo ng tulong sa mga kababayan natin, makapagbigay ng solusyon, at makapag-iwan po ng kaunting ngiti sa panahon po ng inyong pagdadalamhati dahil yan po ang bisyo ko, ang magserbisyo ” expressed Go, also known as Mr. Malasakit.
“Basta po huwag ho kayong mahiyang lumapit sa amin at huwag po kayong magpasalamat sa amin. Sa totoo lang po, kami po ang dapat magpasalamat sa inyo dahil binigyan niyo ho kami ng pagkakataong na makapag serbisyo sa inyo. Maraming salamat po,” he concluded.
In the end, Go expressed his utmost gratitude towards the local government, led by Mayor Marisa Red-Martinez, for their significant effort to bring government services closer to the people most in need.