COTABATO CITY— Lamitan District Hospital in Basilan received another Php2-million medical fund from the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) for the implementation of the latter’s B-CARES or the ‘Bangsamoro Critical Assistance in Response to Emergency Situation’ Program.
On Sept. 30, MSSD Minister Atty. Raissa Jajurie handed over the check to Officer-in-Charge Hospital Chief Dr. Jackie Lou Eisma – Castillo.
“In behalf of our OIC-Chief, I would like to extend our most sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Social Services and Development of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao for including Lamitan District Hospital as one of the primary recipients of the B-CARES Program,” said OIC Administrative Officer Nurse Wais Mangking.
“With the Provincial Government of Basilan and MSSD-BARMM on our side, we’re committed to the delivery of efficient and free medical services for all Basilenos,” Mangking added.
B-CARES covers the hospitalization expenses, medicines, medical treatment and procedures, including laboratory, CT scan, dialysis, MRIs, anti-retroviral therapy, and chemotherapy of identified and validated poor and eligible beneficiaries.
MSSD initially granted Lamitan District Hospital with Php2-million fund in 2021. The ministry recently replenished the fund as it was already fully consumed by indigent patients in the area.
In 2021, Basilan General Hospital in Isabela City also received similar medical assistance fund from MSSD. To date, a total of 657 patients from Lamitan District Hospital and 158 from Basilan General Hospital already benefitted from the B-CARES Program.
“Dahil sa B-CARES program, ang mga tao ay hindi na nagdadalawang isip magpunta ng hospital para mag pa-check up or admit dahil po ang hospital charges nila, ang B-CARES na po ang magse-settle for them,” said MSSD-Basilan Medical Social Worker II Aljabar Omar.
“As long as maka-provide po sila ng mga necessary documents… any valid ID para sa mga 18 years old and above, while para sa 17 years old below to new born ay birth certificate po,” Omar said.
“At may mga pasyente na pong sila mismo ang pumupunta sa hospital dahil di na sila takot at di na nila pinoproblema ang hospital fees/charges,” he added.
The B-CARES program has a total of 13 partner hospitals across the Bangsamoro region, which include:
• Sulu Integrated Provincial Hospital;
• Pangutaran District Hospital in Sulu;
• Datu Halun Sakilan Memorial Hospital in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi;
• Maguindanao Integrated Provincial Hospital;
• Amai PakPak Medical Center (APMC) in Lanao del Sur;
• Cotabato Regional Medical Center (CRMC) in Cotabato City;
• Cotabato Sanitarium in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao; and
• For the Special Geographic Area (SGA) — Community Health Service Cooperative Hospital (COHESCO) and Anecito T. Pesante Sr. Memorial Hospital Cooperative both in Midsayap; and DESERET Surgimed Hospital and Dr. R.A.M. Albutra General Hospital both in Kabacan.
According to MSSD, B-CARES has already served a total of 4,861 indigent patients from these hospitals. (Myrna Tepadan/BIO)
