New BARMM Covid-19 isolation facility to aid Maguindanao

COTABATO CITY—Bangsamoro Government officially turned over Tuesday, Sept. 29, a newly built Covid-19 temporary treatment and monitoring facility at Nuro, Upi in Maguindanao.

Spokesperson Mohd Asnin Pendatun of the Bangsamoro Inter Agency Task Force (BIATF) on Covid-19 said the construction of isolation facility forms part of the continuous efforts and strategies of the Bangsamoro Government to contain Covid-19 in the region.

“The materials used for the facility follow proper standards to benefit the hospital, the residents of the area, and the Bangsamoro patients,” Pendatun added.

The isolation facility, located in Datu Blah T. Sinsuat District Hospital, can cater to 100 asymptomatic and mild Covid-19 patients.

“Our Ministry of Public Works and the entire Government of the Day remain dedicated to prevent the spread of coronavirus by providing physical infrastructure such as this one,” said Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim in a message delivered by Pendatun.

The Ministry of Public Works (MPW-BARMM) led the groundbreaking of the facility on June 5, few days after the launching of the 100-bed isolation facility in Cotabato Sanitarium Hospital in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao on May 28.

Public Works Minister Edward Guerra said the facility can be used by the district hospital to increase its bed capacity even after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Health (MOH-BARMM) has also hired 58 health and administrative personnel to man the isolation facility through the Human Resource for Health (HRH) Program Augmentation.

Health Deputy Minister Zul Qarneyn Abas said the BARMM will support the operations of the isolation facility.

Further, he said similar isolation facilities being constructed by the Bangsamoro Government in the region’s four other provinces of Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi are nearing completion.

School Administrator Zukarno Datukan of Upi Agricultural School, and Hospital Chief Michael Macion signed a usufruct agreement for the legal use of the parcel of land where the district hospital was constructed. (Bureau of Public Information)