Malasakit Centers and its quest to serve the poorest of the poor

When we think about health we tend to put our focus on the essence of cure rather than prevention. This for decades has been the mentality coupled with the growing expenses in health care. The saying we often hear as “bawal magkasakit” has become the norm because economically, we have not paid the right focus on the inclusion of health literacy into our own “books” as budgets are allotted for other daily essentials.

I have learned that, back in the day and prior to the Edsa Revolution, the Philippines was at its prime in terms of health care. To date, health programs under the current administration of President Duterte, lawmakers are giving urgent priority to health most especially for the poor.

When we speak of health care, it must also be understood that what we are talking about is the delivery of services. This therefore brings me to what we now call the Malasakit Center which was first launched back in 2018. By now I would assume that we all know what a Malasakit Center is. It is a one-stop shop found in a hospital that houses desk representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and the Department of Health (DoH).

These agencies have agreed to have their respective representatives present in the Center so that people are able to process their needs without having to leave the hospital. The Malasakit Center Act filed by Senator Christopher “Bong” Go is a program designed to streamline and accelerate the delivery of medical services to Filipinos, especially to those who need them the most. In line with this, Malasakit Centers are meant to further compliment the Universal Health Care Act which has been signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte.

To date, ten senators are backing Senator Bong Go’s Malasakit Center Bill. Senators Juan Edgardo Angara, Cynthia Villar, Manny Pacquiao, Sherwin Gatchalian, Ramon Revilla Jr., Francis Tolentino, Ronald dela Rosa, Imee Marcos, Joel Villanueva and Juan Miguel Zubiri have strongly expressed their support for Senate Bill 1076 which aims to bring services from the national government straight to their constituents.

As the name rightfully demonstrates, “Malasakit” is indeed what is needed to show proper concern on health services most especially for those with little to no access. Our Constitution alone mandates that the health of every Filipino requires utmost protection and it is high time that we put accessible health services at the forefront for every Filipino as this is necessary to secure and protect a nation.

National security as we have stressed in the past includes appropriate health services available to most especially in far flung areas with poor access.

If we speak of prevention, health services would include general monitoring that would sustain proper health and educate communities in order to be “disease or illness free.”

More so, in the event that epidemics should strike, consistent health services would also determine illnesses or diseases that would require immediate attention.

There are currently 42 Malasakit Centers nationwide and one must point out that such services also help our attached agencies gather proper data on the health of constituents in their respective areas.

Seeing how our government including our lawmakers are determined to take the lead in providing proper health services for every Filipino further ensures the promise of a comfortable life for all.