SBG launches 113th Malasakit Center in San Pablo City

IN a demonstration of the government’s clear commitment to expanding health care and making access to it more convenient and affordable manner, especially for poor and indigent patients, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go personally attended the launch of the country’s 113th Malasakit Center at the San Pablo City General Hospital (SPCGH) in San Pablo City, Laguna, last May 20, 2021.

The SPCGH is the 9th hospital in the CALABARZON region and second in the province to establish its own Malasakit Center, in addition to the Laguna Medical Center in Santa Cruz.

Welcoming the solon to the occasion are local officials headed by Mayor Loreto ‘Amben; Amante, vice mayor Justin Colago, SPCGH Chief of Hospital Dr. James Lee Ho and other city officials.

“Alam niyo, sa 23 years na pagtatrabaho ko kay Presidente Rodrigo Duterte, nakita ko ang kahalagahan ng serbisyong pangkalusugan.

Lalo na nung mayor pa siya, ang dami kong nakitang hindi residente ng Davao na pumupunta sa city hall para humingi ng tulong pampa-ospital. Doon ko nakita ang puso ng Pangulo para sa mga mahirap,” Go began in a speech.

“Ang sabi ng Commission on Audit, bawal daw gamitin ‘yung pera ng Davao City sa hindi residente nito, kaya alam niyo, binato niya sa akin ‘yung mga hospital bills. Sabi niya ‘Bong, maghanap ka ng paraan. Kung tatanggi ako rito sa mga pasyente, hindi na ako uupo dito bilang mayor’,” he continued.

As Special Assistant to the President then, Go went on to pioneer the Malasakit Center program whose first branch opened at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City in 2018.

The center brought together under one roof the agencies from which particularly poor and indigent patients may conveniently seek medical assistance, namely the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

Upon winning a seat in the Senate, Go authored and sponsored the passage of a measure to institutionalize the program. President Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11463, otherwise known as the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, in December 2019.

Meanwhile, Go also called on the government to maximize the manpower of the country’s military reservists to fast-track vaccine rollout and overcome the Covid-19 crisis

“Ang totoo niyan ay kulang na kulang po tayo sa human resources. And, in order, to accelerate further our daily vaccination rate, I urged the National Task Force Against Covid-19 to also tap our military reservists,” Go said.

The solon also proposed to the task force to consider hastening immunization in “critical areas” to hasten ‘herd immunity.’

“Mas effective siguro to target herd immunity in critical areas. And this is easier to achieve in NCR Plus if we can push that vaccine rollout be faster than the infection rate,” Go suggested.

In addition to mobilizing military reservists, Go emphasized the need to establish more vaccination centers in the country to make sure that more Filipinos will get inoculated as soon as supplies come in.

He also bared that he has made the proposal to ‘Vaccine Czar Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. the possibility of utilizing the hospitals and camps of the military, Philippine National Police, and Philippine Coast Guard as additional vaccination sites.

“I spoke with vaccine czar Sec. Charlie Galvez who said that they have discussed the said suggestion and also said that they will use military, PNP and Philippine Coast Guard hospitals and camps as vaccination centers for government frontliners,” Go said.

By having more vaccination centers, Go said this will not only speed up the rollout but also prevent unnecessary overcrowding and longer queues that may violate social distancing protocols.