BRINGING HEALTHCARE CLOSER TO COMMUNITIES: BONG GO LAUDS NEWLY INAUGURATED HOSPITAL IN SULTAN KUDARAT, MAGUINDANAO DEL NORTE

THE newly upgraded Cotabato Sanitarium and General Hospital (CotSanGen) is now ready to provide healthcare services to far-flung areas in Sultan Kudarat town, Maguindanao del Norte as Bong Go supported its inauguration on Tuesday, June 18.

“Ang pag-upgrade na ito ay isang mahalagang hakbang patungo sa pagpapalakas ng serbisyong pangkalusugan para sa ating mga kababayan dito sa Cotabato at sa mga karatig na lugar,” Go said in a message read by his Malasakit Team.

“Sa pamamagitan ng pagpapaganda ng pasilidad at pagdaragdag ng mga makabagong kagamitan at teknolohiya, mapaglilingkuran nang mas maayos at mas epektibo ang mga nangangailangan. Ito ay hindi lamang isang tagumpay para sa inyo bilang institusyon, kundi pati na rin bilang isang komunidad na patuloy na nagsusumikap para sa pinakamahusay na kalusugan para sa lahat,” he added.

The upgraded hospital unveiled a four-story Expansion Building, Hemodialysis Center, Bagong Urgent Care Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) Center, and a new 64-slice CT-Scan, which will swiftly help the residents in the locality and nearby provinces who seek medical help.

The Senator assured the residents that his advocacy for delivering government services, especially providing healthcare to the Filipinos in far flung areas continues.

Go, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health has continuously advocated for the Malasakit Centers as one-stop shops for medical assistance programs, recognizing the significance of easily accessible healthcare services.

In his remarks, Go, also known as Mr. Malasakit, encouraged the residents to take advantage of the Malasakit Centers in the newly upgraded CotSanGen Hospital, Cotabato Regional and Medical Center in Cotabato City, and Cotabato Sanitarium and General Hospital in Sultan Kudarat town.

The Malasakit Centers program, initiated by Senator Go in 2018, was designed to reduce the burden on patients by consolidating the medical assistance programs of various government agencies under one roof. These include the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

The program was institutionalized through Republic Act No. 11463 or the Malasakit Centers Act, which Go principally sponsored and authored in 2019. The inspiration behind the Malasakit Centers stemmed from Senator Go’s close observations of the hardships faced by impoverished sectors when availing themselves of needed government assistance for medical services.

Currently, the program has established 165 Malasakit Centers nationwide, which have helped more or less ten million Filipinos.

Go also proudly mentioned that one of his key advocacies is the establishment of more Super Health Centers nationwide. He highlighted the critical role of Super Health Centers in advancing the early detection of diseases through accessible basic health services at the community level.

Through the concerted efforts of Go, fellow lawmakers, the Department of Health (DOH) led by Secretary Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa, and local government units, adequate funding was allocated for establishing more than 700 Super Health Centers nationwide, including one in Cotabato City.

“Ako ang inyong Senator Kuya Bong Go, patuloy na magseserbisyo sa inyong lahat dahil bisyo ko na ang magserbisyo at ako po ay naniniwala na ang serbisyo sa tao ay serbisyo po yan sa Diyos,” added Go who is known as Mr. Malasakit for his compassionate service for the poor.