By Warren Valdez
SULTAN KUDARAT– A 100-bed capacity coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) isolation facility in the municipality of Sultan Kudarat in Maguindanao has been turned over by the Bangsamoro government to the Cotabato Sanitarium Hospital on Thursday, May 28.
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Health Minister Dr. Sarfullah Dipatuan said the 1000-square meter facility has been inspected and was able to meet the minimum standards required by the World Health Organization (WHO) for a COVID-19 isolation facility.
“This COVID-19 isolation center becomes very vital. Without this, our task to contain this virus is too difficult if not completely impossible,” Dipatuan said.
BARMM’s Minister on Public Works (MPW) Minister Eduard Guerra said the construction of the P21- million facility also took some time to be completed as there were challenges brought about by the quarantine restrictions.
“Normally, when we say isolation facility, it’s temporary. But we made it permanent so the hospital can use it as an expansion if the pandemic ends. In Shaa Allah,” he added.
Meanwhile, CSH hospital chief Dr. Ibrahim Pangato said that the facility was a huge help in containing the disease, and will also benefit not only the its constituents but also those from the nearby provinces of Maguindanao.
BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim said that the completion of the isolation facility was among the initiatives taken by the Bangsamoro Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) to help combat the spread of COVID-19 in the region.
“As a result of our resolve to combat the disease, here we are today, fulfilling another face in this battle,” he said, noting that the BIATF made sure that basic services and preventive measures were accurately delivered by the implementing body to contain and isolate the disease.
The Bangsamoro Government previously disclosed that P50 million was allocated for the building of isolation facilities in the region, and another P100 million for the procurement of medical supplies and equipment for the region.