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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Upgrading PH healthcare systems a must, says Go

Upgrading PH healthcare systems a must, says Go

Published Jun 25, 2022 12:52 pm

Senator Christopher ‘’Bong’’ Go underscored the importance of strengthening the country’s healthcare system as he hailed the upgrade of local hospitals in Iloilo province.

Go, chairman of the Senate Health and Demography Committee, stressed this after attending last Wednesday, June 22 the inauguration of Western Visayas Sanitarium and General Hospital (WVSGH) in Santa Barbara and Don Jose S. Monfort Medical Center in Barotac Nuevo (DJSMMC), both in the province of Iloilo.

He vowed to continue pushing for measures to strengthen the country’s healthcare system and improve the access of more Filipinos to quality health services nationwide.

The lawmaker from Davao had sponsored 39 local hospital bills, which President Duterte has already signed into law to improve the quality of services in more public health facilities across the country.

Among these are Republic Act (RA) 11723, converting WVSGH into a general hospital with specialty in infectious diseases; and RA 11725, likewise converting DJSMMC into a tertiary hospital and increasing its bed capacity from 100 to 300 beds.

Meanwhile, another 30 bills that were sponsored by Go have passed on third reading in the Senate and await the signature of President Duterte.

As part of his efforts to ensure that poor and indigent patients have convenient access to the medical assistance programs by relevant agencies, Go also primarily authored and sponsored the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019 which mandates the establishment of Malasakit Centers in all Department of Health (DOH)-run hospitals, and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila City.

Even before becoming a senator in 2019, Go initiated the Malasakit Centers program in 2018.

Since then, the program has established 151 Malasakit Centers, including those at the WVSGH and DJSMMC, and has assisted more than three million Filipinos nationwide.

Go went on to give recognition to the country’s medical frontliners for their immeasurable service and dedication, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the Senate, I authored and co-sponsored Republic Act 11712 to ensure the continuous provision of allowances to our healthcare workers. Sa ilalim ng batas na ito, mas maraming healthcare workers na ang makakatanggap ng allowance,” Go shared.

He then committed to continue pushing for measures that would benefit more health and non-health workers as they have been at the forefront of the battle against the global health crisis.

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