Cotabato City Health Office now under BARMM

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will now supervise the City Health Office (CHO) of Cotabato City after it was transferred to the region’s Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday.

MOH officer-in-charge Minister Dr. Zul Qarneyn Abas and City Health Officer II Dr. Marlow Niñal led the turnover and acceptance ceremony.

“Buong puso naming tinatanggap ang City Health Office into the folds of BARMM, especially to the Ministry of Health,” Abas said in his speech.

“We are confident [in] the leadership and capability of your City Health Officer, your doctors, and program coordinators.”

(We wholeheartedly welcome the City Health Office into the folds of BARMM, especially to the Ministry of Health. We are confident in the leadership and capability of your City Health Officer, your doctors, and program coordinators.)

Abas promised to look into how to assist the CHO and said that the ministry would review the center's Local Investment Plan for Health and Annual Operation Plan.

For his part, Niñal thanked the MOH for its promise to provide assistance given the city health center’s lack of facilities and human resources.

“Kung naibigay sa amin ito (tulong) noon pa, siguro naging center for excellence itong Cotabato City. Ngayong nandito na kami, nakikipagtulungan na kami sa BARMM—malaking pasalamat namin dito at malaking epekto ito sa mga Cotabateño,” he said.

(I believe Cotabato City might have been a center of excellence if this help had been provided to us earlier. But now that we are here, we will work with the BARMM; we sincerely appreciate their assistance, and this will be very helpful for the Cotabateño.)

The BARMM said that while the MOH will supervise the CHO, its operation will still be under the Cotabato City government.

After the ceremony, a coordination meeting was held where the programs of the MOF were presented.

At present, the CHO houses a Bangsamoro one-stop shop that offers various medical services not only to its residents but also to neighboring areas.—VBL, GMA News