The opening of our country’s 155th Malasakit Center at the Dr. George T. Hofer Medical Center in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay on 25 February marked another milestone in what is now a five-year-old program that has assisted over seven million of our poor and indigent Filipino patients nationwide.
Before we had Malasakit Centers, I remember sharing in the frustration and grievance of our financially incapacitated Filipinos who had to spend what little time they had just to queue in various government offices on separate dates to seek medical assistance. This unnecessarily aggravated the burden of our kababayans who were probably already at the lowest point of literally fighting for the life of their loved ones.
I initiated the Malasakit Centers program in 2018. I envisioned the center as a one-stop shop where concerned agencies, such as the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, are brought together under one roof to ensure government medical assistance programs are within the reach of more Filipinos in need.
Later as a senator and with the help of my fellow legislators in Congress, I successfully pushed for the institutionalization of the program under Republic Act 11463, signed by then-President Rodrigo Duterte in 2019, which I principally authored and sponsored in the Senate.
Since then, we have established Malasakit Centers in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao — and literally in all regions in the country. We hope that the program will continue to help more Filipinos needing medical assistance.
To further strengthen our country’s health sector, I also continue to pursue, to the best of my capacity as Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, other initiatives and programs that would enhance our kababayans’ access to basic health services. These include capacitating public hospitals, such as the DGTHMC in Ipil and other public health facilities, and establishing Super Health Centers nationwide with the help of DoH, fellow lawmakers, and local government units.
I have long been pushing for Super Health Centers, particularly in fifth and sixth-class municipalities where residents have limited access to health services. This was set in motion back in 2021 after the country realized the shortage of health facilities in remote municipalities with limited funds, especially amid the pandemic.
Super Health Centers offer a range of health services, including database management, outpatient care, birthing, isolation, diagnostic procedures such as x-rays and ultrasounds, pharmacy services, and an ambulatory surgical unit. Oncology centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation centers, ear, nose, and throat services, and telemedicine facilities are also made available in these centers.
Through our efforts, sufficient funds had been allocated under the 2022 health budget for the construction of some 307 Super Health Centers and under the 2023 budget for the establishment of 322 more SHCs in other parts of the country.
Just last week, I inspected the ongoing construction of the Super Health Centers in Rizal and Sto. Domingo towns in Nueva Ecija. The Cabuyao Super Health Center in Laguna also had its successful groundbreaking.
Apart from supporting our health sector, I have also been prioritizing efforts to help in the infrastructure development of various towns in our country. As Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, I have been keen on supporting the funding for local infrastructure projects that will promote economic growth in local areas and improve the quality of life of their residents.
I was able to inspect last week some of the projects that I earlier advocated for, such as the newly constructed Santo Domingo-Aliaga Road and Bridge in Nueva Ecija. I also witnessed the groundbreaking of the Ipil Sports Complex, inspected the construction of a new legislative building, and witnessed the turnover of a covered court in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.
Finally, I also led separate relief operations for 425 hospital workers, 95 patients, and 128 fire victims in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay; 419 fire victims in Zamboanga City; 760 more in Mandaluyong City; and 1,100 indigents in Rizal and 500 in Sto. Domingo, Nueva Ecija.
Separately, my outreach teams helped 454 indigents in Ibaan, Batangas; 333 in Labason, Zamboanga del Norte; 132 in Dinalupihan, Hermosa, and Samal towns in Bataan; 33 in Cuyapo and another 33 in Peñaranda, Nueva Ecija; 140 fire affected families in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan; two families in San Roque, Tarlac; and seven families in San Fernando City, Pampanga.
As we continue doing our best to improve public health services, promote infrastructure development and extend social assistance, I hope that we can help uplift the lives of even more Filipinos and bring the government closer to our people.