Senator Christopher “Bong” Go on Sunday, January 8 welcomed the Department of Health’s (DOH) report indicating that over seven million Filipinos have become beneficiaries of the Malasakit Centers scattered around the country since it’s first center was established in February 2018.

The DOH’s Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients (MAIP) Program are made conveniently available inside these Malasakit Centers.

“Natutuwa po ako sa bagong report ng DOH kung saan nailapit ng Malasakit Center ang mga programa ng gobyerno na medical assistance sa mga mahihirap na pasyente sa iba’t ibang sulok ng bansa (I am happy with the new DOH report where the Malasakit Center brought the government's medical assistance programs closer to poor patients in different parts of the country),” said Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography.

“Patunay lang po ito sa tagumpay ng naturang programa na ating inumpisahan at ang importansya ng serbisyong pangkalusugan sa mga Pilipino lalo na yung mga mahihirap at walang ibang matakbuhan (This is just proof of the success of such a program that we started and the importance of health services to Filipinos, especially those who are poor and have nowhere else to run),” said Go, who was the proponent of the law in the Senate.

The Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop where particularly poor and indigent patients can conveniently apply for medical assistance from the DOH, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

As of now, there are a total of 153 Malasakit Centers nationwide since 2018 and since it became a law in 2019.

Under Republic Act No. 11463, otherwise known as the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, all hospitals run by the DOH and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila are mandated to establish their own Malasakit Center.

Hospitals run by local government units (LGUs) and other public hospitals may also establish their own provided they meet a standard set of criteria to guarantee the sustainability of the center’s operations.

Based on DOH’s MAIP data, around 7,481,333 patients have availed of the services in the Malasakit Centers, with a total budget of P50.8-billion.

In 2022, more than 1.4 million patient beneficiaries were given assistance through this program.

Currently, the DOH said efforts are being made to broaden the scope of assistance available in Malasakit Centers to include, among other things, outpatient drug benefits.

DOH also stated that the PhilHealth, the country’s state-run health insurer, is strengthening its financing strategies to prevent patients from having to pay out-of-pocket costs.

At this, Go urged Filipinos to prioritize their health and to take advantage of the medical assistance available at Malasakit Centers in the event of a medical emergency.