DAVAO CITY (September 25) —- The 9th Malasakit Center opened here yesterday.
Secretary Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, the Special Assistant to the President said the center will cater to all Mindanao’ans needing medical intervention.
“This center will also serve the people from all over Mindanao, in our effort to reach out to help our people who need government suppoprt and intervention,” Go stressed.
The Davao Malasakit Center located inside the compound of the Department of Health (DoH)-11 across the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), it is the first in Mindanao but the 9th in the country.
The Center houses six agencies — the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, PhilHealth and the city government.
Go said patients or their families need to visit the center and get in touch with agencies to facilitate their needs and when they will be discharge, the same agencies will help them to attain a “Zero Balance”.
Go during the interview said “We hope that patients, especially the indigents will be served and they will be released at the hospital without shelling cash.”
This developed as Go said, a P25-million Malasakit center building will soon rise just within the government property near the SPMC.
The Malasakit center here is in partnership with the Davao City Government’s health program dubbed as “Kalinga ng Bayan” is used to be called “Lingap Center”
The Kalinga ng Bayan has been a program of the city government for almost two decades.
Go said all Filipinos can avail of the government’s health assistance through the Malasakit Centers.
He said Malasakit Centers will also be established in Bulacan and Pampanga.
Jan Paciente, 24, said the program helps him in the medical needs to his son who has been diagnosed to have serious gastro-entritis.
Paciente in vernacular said “The center also provides comfort to us because it is well-ventillated.”
He thanked Go for the initiative.-Jian A. Padillo/NewsLine.ph
