SAP Go leads opening of Malasakit Center in Southern Leyte

MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Sept. 23 -- Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go on Saturday led the opening of Malasakit Center at the Southern Provincial Hospital that extends medical assistance to the underprivileged.

Go urged local officials to raise public awareness on the benefits of Malasakit Center, the second facility of its kind in the region next to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center.

It is the 7th Malasakit Center opened in the Philippines.

“Asking for financial assistance from different agencies is now just under one roof and you don’t have to queue since this is digital. This is to amplify President Duterte’s advocacy of streamlining government processes, especially the health services needed for the poor,” Go added.

He also turned over a PHP5-million check to support the local government’s hospital operation.

The center, which is housed at the provincial hospital in Dongon village, will prioritize senior citizens and persons with disabilities, but it is meant to assist all Filipinos, Go added.

The center is manned by staff of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. It makes a unified requirement system possible, aside from the unified, single-window application form.

The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas is the lead agency behind the project that is funded by the socio-civic funds of the Office of the President.

Southern Leyte Governor Christopherson Yap said he personally asked President Rodrigo Duterte during the Chief Executive’s visit here last July 2 to set up the facility for poor families that need health services.

Yap said the President told him he would discuss his request to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino.

“For people who have nothing, the center can really help them a lot if they seek for medical assistance,” Yap said. “Before we can position our self as economically viable to any market, we have to also take care of our human resources.”

To date, the program is available at the Philippine General Hospital, Davao, Cebu, Tacloban, Iloilo, Bacolod City, and Southern Leyte. (LAAA/PNA)