COTABATO CITY—The Ministry of Public Works (MPW) turned over a 100-bed Covid-19 isolation facility worth of Php27-Million to Cotabato Regional and Medical Center (CRMC) on Friday, July 1, 2022.
The isolation center which was constructed in just three (3) months was funded under the Bangsamoro Appropriation Act (BAA) 2021 and Bangsamoro Government’s Office of the Chief Minister (OCM) contingency fund, and was implemented by the MPW-Maguindanao District Engineering Office 1.
MPW Minister Architect Eduard Guerra said the BARMM has already constructed 10 fully-equipped isolation facility projects across the region, including this one, each with a Php27-million budget that covers the construction and landscaping, supplies, and materials.
“The construction of this isolation facility is an idea of our very own BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim during the early strike of Covid-19 pandemic in the region – to build an isolation center either within or close to the hospitals in order to respond immediately to infected Bangsamoro constituents,” said Minister Guerra.
Meanwhile, CRMC Medical Center Chief Dr. Ishmael Dimaren expressed his gratitude to the BARMM Government for providing the facility and ensuring its proper care and management.
“We are very grateful for this facility and rest assured that we are one with the BARMM Government in providing quality health services in the Bangsamoro region and nearby provinces of South-Central Mindanao,” said Dr. Dimaren.
In his message, OIC Minister of Health Dr. Zul Qarneyn Abas said: “We will allot budget for the operationalization, maintenance, and other operating expenses of this facility, [and] in fact, CRMC is part of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in our budget call and plans to help our hospitalized constituents.”
Also present at the event was the newly-installed Cotabato City Mayor Mohammad Ali Matabalao, who considered the event “historic” for his first public appearance. Accordingly, as the health sector was one of his administration’s priorities, Matabalao pledged to provide more assistance to CRMC.
“Under my administration, we will commit to providing you Php50-Million for free hospitalization assistance yearly,” Mayor Matabalao shared. (Kasan M. Usop, Jr./BIO)
