THE Malasakit Center at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) on B. Rodriguez St., Cebu City has served 729,084 patients since its inception on Feb. 12, 2018.
Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, who founded the Malasakit Center during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, attended the center’s fifth anniversary celebration on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023.
In his message, Go said he would always support the efforts of VSMMC, led by Dr. Gerardo Aquino Jr., to assist the patients, particularly those who belong to the poorest of the poor, to be discharged from the hospital without having to pay anything.
“Don’t thank me or former President Rodrigo Duterte, because we are the ones who should be grateful to you for giving us the opportunity to serve you,” Go said in Cebuano.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia was also present at the event.
“Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center is a model for excellence. I remember years ago when I was already the governor and you (Dr. Aquino) were not yet the head of Vicente Sotto. Wow, black and white, and now what a big difference there has been,” Garcia said.
Aquino said he didn’t truly understand the concept of meaningful service until Malasakit arrived.
“Bilang doctor na nasa government for almost 35 years na in service, ito yong panahon na talagang sinasabi nila na dito namin naramdaman yung gobiyerno natin,” Aquino revealed.
(As a doctor serving in the government for almost 35 years, this is the time when people say that this is where they felt that there is a government).
First in the country
The VSMMC Malasakit Center was the first to open in the country on Feb. 12, 2018.
Since that time, the overall count of Malasakit centers has risen to 154.
When the VSMMC Malasakit Center first opened in 2018, it assisted 97,425 patients. In 2019, the number rose to 186,200 patients.
In 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic started, the 3,000-strong workforce of VSMMC served 124,668 patients, 135,739 in 2021 and 185,052 in 2022.
The creation of the Malasakit Center is covered by Republic Act 11463.
Under the law, government agencies such as PhilHealth, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Department of Social Welfare and Development and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) will assist the patients to get zero-billing when they are discharged from the hospital.
The senator predicted that there will be more Malasakit Centers in the country since hospitals governed by the Department of Health (DOH) and those managed by local government units can be included in the program if they qualify.
Care in far-flung areas
On the same day, Senator Go led local officials in the groundbreaking of the Super Health Center (SHC) in Barangay Lagtang, Talisay City.
In his speech on Friday afternoon, Go said the SHC in Talisay City will be the first to be constructed in Cebu for this year.
The SHC is a medium-type polyclinic intended to bring health care facilities closer to far-flung areas.
The SHC, which was initiated by Go and continued by the DOH, can provide various medical services like database management, outpatient, birthing, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray, ultrasound), pharmacy and ambulatory surgical unit.
Other available services are eye, ear, nose and throat service, oncology centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation center and telemedicine, where remote diagnosis and treatment of patients will be done.
Go shared that as of last year, 18 SHCs were put up in the whole island of Cebu.
He added that 20 more SHCs will be built in the island this year. (PAC / TPT, JENIKA GI-AN C. NERO, STC INTERN)