Cotabato City (May 13, 2020)— After 24 years of hiatus from service, the Provincial Government of Maguindanao reopened the Parang District Hospital to serve as one of the Covid-19 facilities in the province.
Maguindanao Governor Bai Mariam Mangudadatu, who led the opening ceremony on Tuesday, May 12, emphasized the need to prioritize sufficient health services for the people.
“Hindi natin kailangang mag focus lamang doon sa ayuda (We need not to focus solely on the relief assistance). Relief goods are not the remedy for Covid-19,” she said.
Mangudadatu said the provincial government has also equipped the hospital with medical supplies and equipment.
Also, present during Tuesday’s ceremony were BARMM’s Minister of Health Dr. Saffrullah Dipatuan and Cabinet Secretary Mohd Asnin Pendatun, who represented Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim.
“Today’s opening of Parang District Hospital is a manifestation of that collaboration that we need during trying times […] It signals a stronger message that we, in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and the province of Maguindanao, will not let Covid-19 win,” Pendatun said.
He said since the declaration of public health emergency in the country, the Bangsamoro Government has been working tirelessly to ensure that the pandemic does not cause too much pain and suffering to the Bangsamoro community.
“We are also looking forward into the future in which Parang District Hospital will also be a partner hospital in the Bangsamoro Government’s AMBAG program,” Pendatun said.
AMBAG, or the Ayudang Medikal mula sa Bangsamoro Government, is a banner program of the Office of the Chief Minister (OCM), which provides medical assistance to indigent Bangsamoro constituents.
“Naglalaan tayo ng pondo sa ating mga partner hospitals. Ito pong pondo na ibinibigay natin ay ginagamit po para tulungan yung medical finances noong ating mga kababayan,” Pendatun explained.
[We allocated funds to our partner hospitals. The funds will be used to help pay the medical finances of our constituents.]“We were able to give assistance to at least 3,000 patients, and most of them were discharged without paying a single peso,” he added.
“This is just a testament to the call of the chief minister to prioritize health. These are just some of the initial health initiatives we have done, as far as public health emergency is concerned,” he said.
Pendatun also stressed that while the number of Covid-19 cases in the BARMM is “significantly lower compared to other regions, this does not mean that we can already be complacent.”
“The Bangsoro Government will continue supporting its local government units in their initiatives during this crisis,” he assured.
To date, the BARMM has only recorded a total of 11 covid-confirmed cases all over the region. Seven (7) of them have already recovered, four (4) died, one (1) under strict home quarantine, and zero admission in hospitals.
On May 16, the BARMM is among the regions to lift the community quarantine, as it has been determined by the National Inter Agency Task Force on Covid-19 as one of the regions with low-risk level of Covid-19 transmission. (Bureau of Public Information)
