Malasakit opens 34th center

CEBU, Philippines — The Malasakit Centers of the Duterte Administration are now serving 34 key public hospitals across the country, including Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu.

The latest center opened at Balanga City’s Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC). It is the 14th center in Luzon.

The program has 10 centers each in the Visayas and Mindanao. They are in Tacloban, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, Bacolod, Manila, Maasin, Dumaguete, Davao, Pampanga, Bohol, Butuan, Cagayan De Oro, Zamboanga, Bicol, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Bulacan, Batangas, Cabanatuan, General Santos, Tarlac, Dagupan, Navotas, Lucena, Surigao, Dapitan, Dipolog, Pasay, Northern Samar, Biliran, Western Samar, and Bataan.

The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas said that indigent patients can avail of the financial assistance from the center.

The process was also made simpler by bringing government agencies altogether like Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and Department of Social Welfare and Development for easy processing.

All of the agencies were gathered in one-stop-shop to bring their services within the premises of the hospital.

According to the OPAV, a total of P300 million worth of medical assistance funds from the Presidential Socio-Civic Funds of the Office of the President had been disbursed.

Malasakit Center is allegedly serving at least 100,000 patients every month. (FREEMAN)