Malasakit Centers have aided over 7 million Filipinos – DOH

MANILA, Philippines — Over seven million Filipinos, mostly the poor, have benefited from the medical assistance extended by the Malasakit Center, the Department of Health (DOH) reported over the weekend.

A brainchild of Sen. Bong Go, the Malasakit Centers program answers to the struggles of low-income families to get the medical services they need by ensuring easier access to all mandated forms of government aid.

The program brings together all relevant agencies – the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the DOH, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) – under one roof for a medical assistance pool covering various services and reducing hospital expenses and other fees.

“Poor and indigent patients should be helped – those who have nowhere to go, those who are helpless and those who are hopeless. That’s what we should prioritize. That’s who Malasakit Centers cater to,” Go, speaking in Filipino, said.

The latest DOH report revealed that over seven million Filipinos have benefited from the Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients Program, which most have availed of through the Malasakit Center initiative.