Health Minister Dr. Saffrullah Dipatuan faced the media on Friday, June 5, to provide updates on the BARMM’s emergency response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Cotabato City (June 5, 2020 ) – The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced in a press briefing today that the Bangsamoro Government will provide more laboratory testing and isolation facilities in the region to intensify its fight against Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19).
MOH Minister Dr. Saffrullah Dipatuan said, “we are strengthening the establishment of more subnational Covid-19 testing facilities in different regional provinces in BARMM. Next in line is the Amai Pakpak Provincial Hospital of Marawi City, wherein Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim has directed to allocate a sum of 15 million pesos for testing lab construction.”
Dipatuan also shared today that the construction of the new 100-bed capacity Covid-19 isolation facility in Datu Blah Sinsuat District Hospital in North Upi, Maguindanao has officially started.
He further said the Bangsamoro Government is eyeing to establish testing facilities to each of island provinces of Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi.
Dipatuan also assured that there is no scarcity yet in the allocated fund for BARMM’s fight against Covid-19.
“Walang problema when it comes to Covid-19 funding sa region. In fact in order to best prepare, dito sa MOH, we are giving two (2) million pesos for our Integrated Provinicial Health Office (IPHO) para [as preparation] dun sa mga uuwi sa probinsya ng BARMM; five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000) for every hospital in BARMM, and we continue to sustain the support to our Rural Health Unit (RHU) which is twenty thousand (20,000) per month,” Dipatuan underscored.
[There’s no problem when it comes to the Covid-19 fund of the region. In fact in order to best prepare, in the MOH, we are giving P2-million pesos for our Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) as preparation to those returning in their provinces; P500-thousand for every hospital in BARMM, and we continue to sustain the support to our Rural Health Unit (RHU) which is twenty thousand (20,000) per month.]“We were granted 100 human resources who will man the additional Covid-19 facilities in various communities,” he said.
Dipatuan also shared that to date, BARMM has a total 138 isolation facilities with a total of 4,360-bed capacity across all the five provinces.
Meanwhile, as of today BARMM has reported 28 confirmed cases, 4 deaths, 7 recoveries, and 16 admitted of Covid-19 in the region.
The new case recorded is a 43-year old male from Lamitan City, asymptomatic and with a travel history from Zamboanga City. (Bureau of Public Information)
