The 153rd Malasakit Center was inaugurated inside the OFW Hospital in San Fernando City late last month.
Senator Bong Go and Pampanga Vice Governor Lilia Pineda led the opening of the Malasakit Center, along with officials from the Department of Health (DOH), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), PhilHealth, and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Go said this Malasakit Center is an offering by the government for the more than 11 million OFW heroes who are suffering and working abroad and their families.
The Malasakit Center Act of 2019 mandates the establishment of a one-stop-shop where indigent patients and their families can access financial and medical assistance from government agencies, including the DSWD, Philhealth and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
The one-stop-stop aims to reduce a hospital bill to the lowest amount possible by covering various patient services and expenses, pursuant to Republic Act 11463 which Go principally authored and sponsored in the Senate.
More than three million patients have benefited since the program was initiated in 2018.
