A hospital bill is one of the fastest ways a Bislig family can fall into debt. What many residents do not know is that there is an office inside Bislig District Hospital set up specifically to help pay it down, and that using it is free.

When it opened

The Malasakit Center at Bislig District Hospital opened on September 15, 2023. It was the 159th Malasakit Center in the country, the seventh in the Caraga Region and the 40th in Mindanao, according to DZRH's report on the launch.

It was the third Malasakit Center in Surigao del Sur, after the ones at Lianga District Hospital (opened July 10, 2021) and the Adela Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center in Tandag City (opened July 31, 2021), Journal News Online reported.

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, who authored the law behind the centers, attended the launch with Second District Representative Johnny Pimentel, Governor Alexander Pimentel and Mayor Florencio Garay. "Lapitan niyo yang Malasakit Center," Go told residents, urging them to approach the center when they need help.

What a Malasakit Center is

Malasakit Centers are set up under Republic Act No. 11463, the Malasakit Centers Act, signed on December 3, 2019. The law describes each center as a one-stop shop for medical and financial assistance.

Instead of a patient's family going from office to office, four agencies sit under one roof. Under Section 8 of the law, every center has representatives from:

  • the Department of Health (DOH)
  • the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
  • the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO)
  • PhilHealth

The DOH, DSWD and PCSO representatives process and approve requests for assistance. The PhilHealth representative helps patients use their PhilHealth benefits.

Who can get help

The law covers two kinds of patients.

  • An indigent patient is someone who "has no visible means of income," or whose income cannot support their family, as assessed by a DSWD or local government social worker or the hospital's medical social worker.
  • A financially incapacitated patient is someone who "is not classified as indigent but who demonstrates clear inability to pay or spend," as certified by a medical social worker. This is meant for patients facing catastrophic or life-threatening illness.

That second category matters. You do not have to be poor on paper to qualify. A family with a regular income can still be assessed as unable to pay a large bill.

Under Section 9, "the medical social worker shall assess the patient's eligibility," and the amount of help is "based on need as recommended by the medical social worker and the attending physician."

What it costs and who goes first

The law says Malasakit Centers shall be "free of charge." It also requires each center to have a special lane for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

The centers do more than approve money. The law also tasks them with patient navigation and referrals, and with explaining PhilHealth membership and benefits.

Why a provincial hospital has one

The law requires a Malasakit Center in every DOH hospital and the Philippine General Hospital. Hospitals run by local governments, like Bislig District Hospital under the provincial government of Surigao del Sur, may also host one if they meet the standards set in the law.

How to use it

If you or a family member is admitted at Bislig District Hospital and worried about the bill, ask for the Malasakit Center or the hospital's medical social worker early, ideally before discharge, since eligibility is decided through the social worker's assessment. Have your PhilHealth details ready, since a PhilHealth representative sits in the center, and bring whatever documents the social worker asks for.

Sources: Republic Act No. 11463 (Malasakit Centers Act), via the LawPhil Project; DZRH, "Sen. Go spearheads opening of 159th Malasakit Center in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur" (September 21, 2023); The Manila Times, "159th Malasakit Center opens in Bislig" (September 18, 2023); Journal News Online, "159th Malasakit Center opens in Bislig City, Surigao del Sur" (September 2023).