THE PHILIPPINE STAR

metro
EDITOR: DU!C! AtA CHEI

THURSDAY I OCTOBER 17,2OI9

'Mnl as akit C enter s cr itical

"
part of expandedhealth care'
The Malasakit Centers, which dated bill that would institution-
are a brainchild of Sen. Christo- alize Malasakit one-stoP shoPs in
oher Go, will be a critical comPo- oublic hospitals nationwide.
irent of the universal or exPanded
' Quezon ReP. Angelina Tan,
health care program, leaders of who chairs thi comhittee and
the House of RePresentatives said is one of the authors of :the bill,
vesterdav. said it is through these centers
' "Thes6 centers will be health that poor patients not covered
svstem enablers designed to by the ins-urance Program of
iirorove Datient assistance and tlie Philinpine Health Insurance
ref'erral aird provide additional Corp. (ljhilHealth) could seek
non-medical suPPort to Poor assistance.
FiliDinos in need of medical treat- "This orooosed measure in-
meirt," OeputY SPeaker Luis RaY- tends to riedrice, if not eliminate,
mund Villafuerte of Camarines out-of-pocket exPenditures of
Sur said. indigeni patients, including non-
He said the establishment of medical expenses like transPorta-
the centers would be "in steP with tion costs," she said.
the goal of President Duterte to The hospital director would
expind the access of FiliPinos, head the cinter, while the head
especiallv poor and low-income of the hospital's medica] social
fairrilles,'td promPt and quality work office would take care of its
health care." operations. The two would not
The House committee on get extra comPensation.
health has endorseci a consoli- Jess Diaz

\ e\ga- rc'/