THE Army's 549th Engineer Battalion (EB) recently completed the construction of a rural health unit (RHU) in Talayan, Maguindanao, an official said Tuesday, October 20.

Lieutenant Colonel Alaric Avelino Delos Santos, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) information officer, said the project was completed despite the attempt to kill personnel of the construction team on September 19 by riding-in-tandem gunmen.

Delos Santos said the building features eight functional rooms: a delivery room, labor ward, consultation/treatment room, staff office, pharmacy room, dental clinic, conference room, and laboratory room.

He said the 154 square meters RHU building also has three comfort rooms, one rainwater catcher tank, and two ramps for persons with disabilities.

The construction of the RHU building was supposed to be completed earlier but the late delivery of construction materials due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic and the unavailability of water supply in the area caused a delay in the completion of the project, he added.

Talayan is a municipality in the coastal province of Maguindanao composed of 15 barangays.

The town has a population of more or less 60,000 with just a health center with limited capability. (SunStar Zamboanga)