MARAWI CITY — The Bangsamoro Parliament’s Committee on Health has started a series of public consultations in different towns of Lanao del Sur on several proposed measures aimed at creating and upgrading hospitals in the province.

Member of the Parliament Dr. Safrullah Dipatuan, chair of the Committee on Health and author of four of the proposed bills, said that upgrading and creating these hospitals would improve access to healthcare services and medical needs of the people in Lanao del Sur.

“It is the moral responsibility of incumbent BARMM officials to make quality healthcare readily accessible to all residents, especially the poor and marginalized sector of society,” said MP Dipatuan and added that “failure to do so is tantamount to committing a grave injustice” against them.

According to him, his desire to strengthen the healthcare delivery is evident on the bills he principally authored, majority of which are focused on upgrading and creation of hospitals.

Parliament Bill Nos. 75 and 99 seek to upgrade Dr. Serapio B. Montaner Memorial Hospital (DSBMMH) in Malabang town

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from Level I with a bed capacity of 25 to Level II with 100 beds and turn Tamparan District Hospital into a provincial hospital with a capacity of 150 beds.

According to Dr. Dipatuan, the DSBMMH is the only government hospital in Lanao del Sur that provides general surgery, obstetrical and gynecological services, and trauma, especially during the Marawi siege.

Balindong Municipal Hospital will also be upgraded under PB No, 102, from a first-level facility with a 10-bed capacity to a second-level with a bed capacity of 50.

Meanwhile, BTA Bill Nos. 96 and 114 calls to establish first-level hospitals in the municipalities of Masiu and Tugaya, with a bed capacity of 50 and ten, respectively.

Patients from most parts of the province have to travel to Marawi City for consultation or hospitalization.

“Due to the distance and also financial constraints, some of the patients opt not to seek medical care at all,” MP Dipatuan said.

The week-long public consultation will be held in Tamparan, Masiu, Balindong, Tugaya, and Malabang. It is set to conclude on Friday. (LTAIS- Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)