Dr. Safrullah M. Dipatuan, Bangsamoro Transition Authority Member of Parliament and Committee on Health Chairperson, has presented Parliament Bill 102, a bill he principally authored proposing the upgrading of Balindong Municipal Hospital in Lanao del Sur before the BTA plenary.
Parliament bill 102 aims to upgrade the existing Balindong Municipal Hospital in Bindayan, Lanao del Sur from its present 10-bed capacity to a 50-bed capacity district hospital since most hospitals in BARMM had reached their capacity limit due to the continuous rise of COVID-19 cases.
“It is my dream to modernize all hospitals under BARMM,” said Dipatuan during the legislative session.
To date, Dipatuan had authored and proposed more than 40 bills and resolutions aimed at strengthening BARMM’s health system capacity, infrastructure, and policies.
In a statement, Dipatuan provided a list of other proposed hospital upgrades that he had principally filed for further legislative action:
• Proposed Bill No. 75- An Act Upgrading the Existing Dr. Serapio B. Montaner Al-Haj Memorial Hospital in Lanao Del Sur from its Present Level I with 25 Bed-Capacity into Level II with 100 Bed-Capacity and Appropriating Funds therefor and for Other Purposes.
• Proposed Bill No. 79- An Act Upgrading the Existing Wao District Hospital in Lanao Del Sur from its Present Level 1 With 25 Bed-Capacity into Level 2 With 100 Bed-Capacity and Appropriating Funds therefor and for Other Purposes.
• Proposed Bill No. 102- An Act Upgrading the Existing Balindong Municipal Hospital in Lanao Del Sur from its Present Level I with 10 Bed-Capacity into Level 2 With Fifty Bed Capacity and Appropriating Funds therefor and for Other Purposes.
* Proposed Bill No. 101- An Act Upgrading the Existing Buluan District Hospital in Maguindanao from its Present Level I with 25 Bed-Capacity into Level 2 With 100 Bed-Capacity and Appropriating Funds therefor and for Other Purposes.
* Proposed Bill No. 100- An Act Upgrading the Existing Datu Halun Sakilan Memorial Hospital in Tawi-Tawi from its Present Level 1 With 25 Authorized Bed Capacity into Level 2 With 100 Bed Capacity and Appropriating Funds therefor and for Other Purposes
* Proposed Bill No. 99- An Act Converting the Tamparan District Hospital in Lanao Del Sur into A Provincial Hospital to be Known as the Lanao Del Sur Provincial Hospital and Upgrading it into Level 2 With 150 Bed Capacity, and Appropriating Funds therefor and for Other Purposes
“Aside from managing the existing healthcare system to fight COVID-19, we want long-term improvements that will provide the Bangsamoro people and its front-liners a better healthcare system that is prepared to face emerging infectious diseases and future pandemics,” Dipatuan added.
In May this year, Dipatuan led the turnover of 24-million peso funding from the Office of the Chief Minister Al Haj Murad Ebrahim’s Transition Development Impact Fund to hospitals in Lanao del Sur, including Amai Pak Pak Medical Center, to provide financial assistance to indigent patients.