COTABATO CITY (July 20) — For families in Mother Kabuntalan and surrounding communities, getting basic medical care may soon mean less travel, less expense and faster access to essential health services.
The Bangsamoro Government has opened the first Super Health Center in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), bringing expanded healthcare services closer to residents of the Maguindanao del Norte town and nearby areas.
BARMM Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua and Ministry of Health (MOH) Minister Dr. Kadil Sinolinding Jr. led the inauguration of the facility in Barangay Gambar on Tuesday, July 14.
The health center was implemented under the Department of Health’s Super Health Center program and funded through the Bangsamoro Government’s 2021 Transitional Development Impact Fund (TDIF).
Macacua said the facility represents the Bangsamoro Government’s commitment to making quality healthcare more accessible, particularly in communities that have long faced challenges in reaching essential medical services.
“It has always been my dream to elevate the way we address health concerns in our region,” Macacua said. “We need to further raise the standard of health programs across the Bangsamoro.”
He emphasized that health must remain at the center of government priorities.
“All of us must focus our attention on health. Health is wealth, and it is one of the greatest assets of both the government and every community in the region,” he said.
More than a regular health center
Unlike a regular Rural Health Unit, the Super Health Center is designed to provide a wider range of primary healthcare services under one roof.
Residents can access medical consultations, laboratory and diagnostic services, maternal and child healthcare, pharmacy services, outpatient care and other essential medical services.
For residents of Mother Kabuntalan and nearby communities, the facility could mean easier access to care without having to travel farther to seek basic treatment and diagnostic services.
Sinolinding praised Macacua’s leadership in expanding healthcare access, particularly for underserved communities, and assured residents that the Ministry of Health would provide the equipment needed to make the facility fully operational.
“May these Super Health Centers be a showcase of the true essence of public service—above all, it is the people we care about the most,” Sinolinding said.
He said the next priority is to ensure the facility becomes fully operational and capable of serving not only Mother Kabuntalan but also communities in the wider Ligawasan area.
“As our next step, we will fully operate this health center so it can serve as a treatment facility for our people in Mother Kabuntalan and the Ligawasan area, including nearby communities in Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat,” he said.
The inauguration was attended by Member of Parliament Butch Malang, Maguindanao Integrated Provincial Health Office Provincial Health Officer II and Chief of Hospital Mahammad Ariff Baguindali, Mother Kabuntalan Mayor Datu Shariff Diocolano, local officials and other stakeholders.
The opening of the first Super Health Center marks a step toward bringing more comprehensive primary healthcare closer to Bangsamoro communities—particularly those where distance and limited services have long stood between families and the care they need.
