Malasakit’s monthly fund insufficient for poor patients

By Felipe V. Celino

ROXAS CITY, Capiz— Concerned individuals here are worried that the P5-million monthly budget of the national government for the Malasakit  Center would not be enough to cover the hospital bills of indigent patients admitted to the Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital (RMPH).

A concerned citizen who asked not to be identified said that not less than 300 patients were admitted to the RMPH which has a bed capacity of 147 only.

It was suggested that the Roxas City Government through Mayor Ronnie Dadivas and Capiz First District Rep. Emmanuel Tawi Billones Sr. allocate additional budget to the Malasakit Center.

Last Feb 17, 2020, Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go led the blessing and launching of the Malasakit Center inside RMPH.

Go turned over a check for P5 million as initial budget for poor patients who seek medical services at the provincial-run hospital in Capiz.

The first Malasakit Center was launched by the government in the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City in 2018.