LIFE was never a walk in the park for ambulant street food vendor Nida de Leon Ocampo, who almost lost her son due to severe spinal cord injury – a medical condition that they could hardly afford with just P300 daily income she gets from selling nuggets.
According to Aling Nida, her 38-year old son Danilo de Leon Ocampo suffered a life-changing injury in May this year after the tricycle he was driving (as a means of livelihood) figured in a road mishap, which pushed their family in a worse situation amid what was then an already precarious financial crisis.
"Nadale po ‘yung spinal cord niya. Hindi na po siya nakakatayo. Nakahiga lang po siya mula noong mismong birthday niya May 16 hanggang ngayon, hindi po siya nakakatayo," she shared, her voice heavy with concern and helplessness.
While Aling Nida admits, there is no way they could raise enough money for the hospitalization, she still believes that God would send somebody to help them get past what she described as so much harder than what they have been through in the past.
Hence, she took her son Danilo to the Quirino Memorial Medical Center (formerly Labor Hospital) in Project 4, Quezon City,
Overheard Conversation
According to the QMMC doctors, Danilo’s condition requires continuous medical attention and rehabilitation, for which she nearly lost hope because she knew for a fact that her P300 daily earnings is not even enough to feed the family.
As she walked the hallway of the hospital, she overheard a hospital staff member asking another person (who later turned out to be a relative of another patient) to coordinate in an office, while pointing finger in a particular direction.
As it turned out, the office that was referred to in the conversation he overheard is the QMMC-based Malasakit Center. In a spur of a moment, Aling Nida went to the Malasakit Center counter and asked how they could avail help. A courteous Malasakit Center staff gave her a piece of paper which contained a list of the requirements.
As most (if not all) hospitals do, the patient was admitted.
Day of Reckoning
Weeks later, doctors told Aling Nida that her son is already eligible to be discharged from the hospital. She was told to go to the billing section where she was given documents which brought her to tears.
“Diyos ko… saan ko naman kaya kukunin ang perang pambayad sa ospital,” Aling Nida recalls whispering to herself.
Facing a staggering hospital bill of P79,000 at the QMMC and the urgent need for a brace for Danilo, Nida was at her wit's end. At this critical juncture, the Malasakit Center in the hospital emerged as a lifeline.
“Hindi ako relihiyoso pero naniniwala ako sa Panginoon. Alam ko sa sarili ko malalampasan namin ang anumang problema.”
Pooling Gov’t Services
Malasakit Centers bring together representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
These one-stop shops aim to support impoverished patients in reducing their hospital costs to the least possible amount – or in some cases, zero billing.
Enacted in 2019, Republic Act 11463 which paved the way for the institutionalization of Malasakit Centers which became an instant hit and the go-to place for families in distress – or those who could hardly afford the expenses of hospitalization, whether it be in government hospitals or private health facilities.
Interestingly, Sen. Bong Go is the principal author of RA 11463 or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which institutionalized the Malasakit Centers, which to date already has 159 operational desks in government hospitals across the country.
Mom’s Sigh of Relief
"Nagkaroon po kami ng P79,000 po yata ang naging bill namin sa Labor. Inilapit namin sa Malasakit (center) tsaka sa PhilHealth. ‘Yun po ang nakatulong sa amin para makalabas siya sa ospital," Nida gratefully acknowledged.
Aling Nida explicitly credited Go and the Malasakit Center for their critical assistance. "Ako po’y nagpapasalamat po kay Senator Bong Go na kami po’y natulungan niya sa pamamagitan ng Malasakit Center," she expressed.
While Danilo's journey to recovery is far from over, with the continued support of the Malasakit Center and the potential further assistance from Go, Nida harbors hope for her son's future – "Sana nga po matulungan po kami... Sana po matulungan nyo po kami, Senator Bong Go," she appealed.
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