HEALTH Secretary Francisco T. Duque III vowed to improve the capabilities of government health facilities in the cities of Iligan and Marawi to make them exceed their levels prior to the crisis brought by the recently concluded armed conflict.
Duque visited these cities on November 10 to monitor the situation of evacuation centers in the two cities, in line with the directive of President Duterte to aid in the rehabilitation measures for the people affected or displaced by the five-month siege.
This was the first time Duque visited these facilities since his appointment to the the Department of Health (DOH) portfolio two weeks ago. The DOH continues to respond to health challenges in the conflict-stricken areas.
The evacuation centers are physically assessed to ensure their adequacy to provide basic health services to the evacuees.
Tsekap services are continually conducted to ensure the well-being of the people under the DOH care at these centers, and to amply provide medical supplies as part of the ongoing medical assistance. Appropriate psychological intervention has been made available for both internally displaced persons (IDPs) in evacuation centers and home-based IDPs with the service providers.
The most recent data from the DOH’s Health Emergency Management Bureau showed there are 5,087 families, or 22,193 persons, currently staying in 76 evacuation centers, and another 17,855 families or 81,101 persons in their own homes.
The Amai Pakpak Medical Center and Abdullah Hospital are functional 24/7 providing emergency room, operating room, pharmacy and laboratory services. There are 10 serviceable barangay health stations and outposts in Marawi City opened for public.
Overall, a total of P222,388,985.61 worth of logistics and funding assistance from the DOH Central Office, the DOH Regional Offices and partner agencies was given to the hospitals and evacuation centers in the affected areas.
“The DOH is doing its best efforts to continuously deliver essential health services and, in particular, rehabilitate the health system in Marawi, especially the damaged health delivery infrastructures. We have to make sure that effective health strategies are enforced to implement programs that have been planned to address the health needs of the people in the battle-scarred areas,” the health chief said.
He added it is hardly enough to restore the capabilities of these healthcare facilities to the way they were before the Marawi siege because the unique circumstances and challenges faced by the affected people demand a proportionately greater response from the health sector.