Press Release - Northern Mindanao sees expansion of access to healthcare as Bong Go lauds launch of 162nd Malasakit Center

Northern Mindanao's healthcare landscape saw a significant enhancement with the establishment of the 162nd Malasakit Center at the First Misamis Oriental General Hospital in Medina town. This development is part of Senator Christopher "Bong" Go's ongoing efforts and support to ensure accessible healthcare for the underprivileged in the region.

In accordance with the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019 which Go principally authored and sponsored, the country now boasts 162 Malasakit Centers, with 42 located in Mindanao, including nine in Northern Mindanao alone. There are also 90 in Luzon and 30 in Visayas.

Aside from the newly launched center in First Misamis Oriental General Hospital, Malasakit Centers in Region X are also located in the Northern Mindanao Medical Center and J.R. Borja General Hospital, both in Cagayan de Oro City; Gregorio T. Lluch Memorial Hospital in Iligan City; Mayor Hilario A. Ramiro Sr. Medical Center in Ozamiz City; Kapatagan Provincial Hospital in Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte; Bukidnon Provincial Hospital in Maramag, Bukidnon; Doña Maria D. Tan Memorial Hospital in Tangub City; and Camiguin General Hospital in Mambajao, Camiguin.

Go, the architect of the Malasakit Centers program and Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, emphasized the impact of the initiative in aiding poor and indigent Filipinos in accessing medical services.

"Sa patuloy na paglaganap ng mga Malasakit Centers, lalong lumalawak ang ating kakayahan na ilapit sa mahihirap ang tulong pampagamot ng gobyerno lalo na sa Northern Mindanao," he said.

"Ang bawat pagbubukas ng Malasakit Center ay isang hakbang patungo sa mas maayos na kalusugan para sa mga Pilipino. Tandaan natin na ang kalusugan ay katumbas ng buhay ng bawat Pilipino," Go added.

The Malasakit Centers program is a one-stop shop where concerned agencies with medical assistance programs such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) are put under one room inside select public hospitals to provide streamlined access to such medical aid from the