20T patients get help from Malasakit Center

CEBU, Philippines — In just a month, the Malasakit Center at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City has helped and assisted at least 20,000 patients.

Girlie Veloso of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas said the Malasakit program has assisted 100,000 patients nationwide in a month.

“Monthly, we have served 100,000 patients nationwide. Every month, we have P300 million disbursed from the Office of the President for the 23 Malasakit centers,” she told reporters.

There are 23 Malasakit Centers nationwide, nine are from Luzon, seven are from Visayas, and seven from Mindanao.

The government will open its 24th center today in Pangasinan, Veloso said.

“Ang bugtong rason is para ang mga pasyente sa hospital dili na manggawas sa hospital, meaning to say dili na sila moadto sa mga offices sa other agencies naa na in one office that’s why it’s called a one-stop-shop,” she added.

Veloso said the center is a one-stop-shop comprised of different agencies, which can provide help to families of patients, who wish to settle medical expenses such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR), and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

Veloso said P50 million is being allocated to VSMMC monthly for the medical assistance program of the national government. Each patient will get as much as P50,000 per case from the Malasakit Center, which is on top of the assistance from other agencies, she said.

Veloso said the national government, through OPAV (Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas), established the program to ensure that marginalized Filipinos will be assisted in their hospital bills.

“Regardless of sakit, ma-cater ra sa program but naa lang gyud requirements sa mga agencies gyud kay ang uban man gud nagtuo nga inig sulod sa Malasakit Center, zero na dayon ilang hospital bills. Matag agency, naa may own requirements gud,” she said.

For this year, she said the government eyes to establish more centers nationwide.

She said Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino was designated to implement the Malasakit Center throughout the country. (FREEMAN)