If you can’t beat them, then join them!

While going for my post confinement check-up at the Rizal Medical Center, I learned that my former colleague turned senator Raffy Tulfo did an ocular visit of RMC last May 30 in order to personally see the operations, facilities and services of RMC.

Short of experiencing a stay at the hospital, I am glad that Sen. Raffy Tulfo “walked the floor” and personally saw how many patients and how well RMC services the needs of people in Rizal province, Pasig and the Calabarzon, in spite of very limited space and funding.

I’m not sure if he went through the corridor along the surgery section or the cardiac clinic where people were also lined up, waiting for their turn at the operating tables. Or if he got a short briefing on the new building being constructed to house operating rooms. I mention these because they are just examples of areas and services that Sen. Raffy Tulfo can surely help with.

Having more champions for public health and government hospitals will certainly make a difference for many Filipinos who face financial disaster every time they experience a serious medical condition.

I was told that Sen. Raffy had promised to help the hospital. Might I suggest that Sen. Raffy consider supporting the construction of a state-of-the-art operating room that can be housed in the new building under construction.

If Sen. Raffy really wants to make a mark, perhaps he can also speak with local officials of Rizal province, Pasig and Calabarzon to make parcels of land available for the development of “satellite” or extension hospitals in order to spread out the medical services of RMC closer to patients from those areas.

He can also investigate and help strengthen the Barangay Health Centers (BHC) to beef up primary health care, response and services in every barangay as previous legislation had envisioned but never solidified.

If Senator Bong Go has made a mark with the Malasakit Centers, Sen. Raffy could make an impact by focusing on the development and construction of health facilities outside of urban centers where they are needed the most.

Whatever Sen. Raffy manages to come up with, visiting my favorite hospital is a good start. While the first few years in the Senate was understandably spent in proving his worth in office, now is the time to address the needs of those who made him senator.

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Speaking of Malasakit Centers and Sen. Bong Go, here is a not so imaginary monologue that a government official recently delivered to a small group of government workers:

“The folks upstairs are unhappy or nagtatampo because they can’t understand why Bong Go gets all the praise regarding services of the Malasakit Centers.”

“These (Malasakit) centers are located in government hospitals, administered by the Department of Health, funded by the DOH and manned by DOH personnel. But why does Bong Go get all the credit?”

Needless to say, that lament or protest really caught my attention and makes it difficult for me not to comment or share my opinion on the matter.

First and foremost, the principle of “First Mention,” as explained via Google, “suggests that the first time a word, concept or doctrine is introduced in a text, it often establishes a foundational meaning or pattern that influences how it is understood later.”

In the case of Malasakit Centers, the “first mention” and repeated mention of the concept was done by Senator Bong Go. Not only did Sen. Bong Go talk about it, but he also promoted the concept, sought funding and multiplied the centers and consequently got credit for and publicity from them.

Aside from “first mention,” the program also had several years’ head start addressing the desperation of disadvantage or limited financial capacity patients and families facing serious medical challenge. That is a double hit because Bong Go’s head start was several years and directly helped the helpless!

Whoever the people “upstairs” are, the sorry fact is that nobody could take credit for the Malasakit Centers because it was not their idea, and they were scared to take over or take credit for Malasakit Centers. Even Sen. Bong Go did not actively take credit for the centers.

Ironically, when PBBM’s administration came in, some people actively worked at developing an alternative program to displace the Malasakit Centers. But those “Bukas” centers came in too little, too late. They did not have a champion, a face and a strategy.

When Sen. Bong Go first started the Malasakit Centers, I myself had doubts about them as nothing more than a concierge or front desk for the desperate and destitute. But as I checked among health workers, doctors as well as beneficiaries, I learned just how smart and effective the centers were.

Imagine a poor or cash-strapped individual who has no backer, endorser or connection going to the Malasakit Center for help. There they are entertained and assisted by a hospital staff or PhilHealth representative. Thereafter they are referred to a social worker, assisted and pointed in the right direction.

The fact that somebody “saw” them and treated them as a person and not a case number, hits home. As far as hospitals nationwide are concerned, Sen. Bong Go is known as the most responsive and supportive of senators when it comes to assistance and funding for hospital facilities. The secret is consistently giving “malasakit” – and that’s why people give the credit to Bong Go!

As for the people “Upstairs,” if you can’t beat them – join them. Don’t undermine them!

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