THE Ministry of Health in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MOH-Barmm) announced Friday, June 5, 2020, that it will provide more laboratory testing and isolation facilities to intensify its fight against coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
“We are strengthening the establishment of more sub-national Covid-19 testing facilities in different regional provinces in Barmm,” said Dr. Saffrullah Dipatuan, the health minister.
Dipatuan said the next testing laboratory to be constructed is in Amai Pakpak Provincial Hospital of Marawi City.
The health minister said that Barmm Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim has ordered to allocate P15 million for construction of the laboratory in Amai Pakpak Provincial Hospital.
He said the construction of the new 100-bed capacity Covid-19 isolation facility in Datu Blah Sinsuat District Hospital in North Upi, Maguindanao has officially started.
He said they are also eyeing to establish testing facilities to each of the island provinces of Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi.
Dipatuan assured that Barmm has sufficient funds to be used in the fight against Covid-19.
“There’s no problem when it comes to the Covid-19 fund of the region. In fact, in order to best prepare, in the MOH, we are giving P2 million for our Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) as preparation to those returning in their provinces; P500,000 for every hospital in Barmm, and we continue to sustain the support to our Rural Health Unit (RHU) which is P20,000 per month,” he said.
“We were granted 100 human resources who will man the additional Covid-19 facilities in various communities,” he added.
The health official said that to date, Barmm has a total 138 isolation facilities with a total of 4,360-bed capacity across all the five provinces.
Meanwhile, he said that as of Friday, June 5, Barmm has reported 28 confirmed cases, four deaths, seven recoveries and 16 admitted for Covid-19 in the region.
He said the new case recorded is a 43-year-old male from Lamitan City, who is asymptomatic and with a travel history from Zamboanga City. (SunStar Zamboanga)