By Ali Macabalang
KIDAPAWAN CITY – Preparations are underway for the construction of another district hospital in North Cotabato, with Senator Juan Miguel “Migs” Zubiri allocating P30 million of his countryside development funds for the purpose, Governor Nancy Alaan-Catamco announced on Monday.
North Cotabato Governor Nancy Catamco (PHOTO VIA MACABALANG/ MANILA BULLETIN)
The planned health facility will bring to four the number of district hospitals supplementing the lower leve services of the provincial hospital based in Barangay Amas here, Gov. Catamco said.
It is programmed for construction within this year in Banisilan, a distant North Cotabato town lying on the province’s border with Lanao del Sur and Bukidnon, Catamco said.
She said a family in Banisilan had offered to donate a hectare of their land for the planned medical facility.
North Cotabato, which covers 17 towns and this city, has three existing district hospitals located in Mlang, Midsayap and Aleosan municipalities. Kidapawan has its own city hospital while other towns in the province maintain infirmaries for their respective constituencies, Catamco said.
“Once realized, the Banisilan project will be our fourth district hospital. It will be a big boost to health services in our province,” the lady governor said.
The province covers a total area of 9,008.90 square kilometers with a population of 1,379,747 as of the 2015 census.
It occupies the northeastern tip of Region 12, and is centrally located in Mindanao. It is bounded on the north by the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Bukidnon, the west by Maguindanao, on the east by Davao City and Davao Norte, and on the southeast by Sultan Kudarat and Davao del Sur.