Bangsamoro Parliament bill requires BARMM hospitals be Muslim-friendly

A Bangsamoro Parliament member filed a measure that mandates all healthcare centers in the Bangsamoro Region to provide facilities and services that accommodate Muslim religious practices.

Member of  Parliament (MP) Suharto Esmael filed BTA Parliament Bill  No. 302 which requires all hospitals in the autonomous region to be accredited as Ibadah Friendly Hospitals (IFHs).

Under the measure, the Bangsamoro Health Ministry (MOH) would serve as the accreditation agency. An IFH Committee (IFHC), to be composed of representatives from public and private hospitals and personnel from the Bangsamoro Darul-Ifta, would likewise be established within the MOH.

"Ibadah" is an Arabic term meaning worship to Allah, and the accreditation ensures that hospitals provide facilities and services that accommodate  Muslim religious practices.

To be certified, hospitals must have specific facilities and services that accommodate religious practices including a place of worship, wash areas, services for deceased patients, and gender-segregated patient wards.

Certification may be issued upon compliance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Committee.

Hospitals falsely claiming to be Ibadah-friendly without proper certification would face fines ranging from P50,000 for the first offense to P100,000  for subsequent offenses. — DVM, GMA Integrated News