MODERN RURAL HEALTH CENTER. Mayor Armando Quibod of Makilala, North Cotabato (center), together with municipal health officers and Department of Health-12 representatives, drops the capsule to signal the start of construction for a PHP17-million rural health center that would house a laboratory hub, outpatient department, birthing center, and the municipal health office. The project is expected to be completed in January 2021. (Photo courtesy of Makilala MIO)
MAKILALA, North Cotabato – Local officials here broke ground Tuesday the construction of a PHP17-million modern rural health center aimed to boost health services for its constituents.
Mayor Armando Quibod led the ground-breaking ceremonies together with Department of Health (DOH) - 12 representative Dr. Rey Santella; Dr. Eva Rabaya of the Integrated Provincial Health Office; and Municipal Health Office (MHO) chief, Dr. Georgina Sorilla.
Lito Cañedo, municipal information officer, said the project was funded through the DOH quick response fund and is set for completion on January 2021. Quibod personally donated a portion of his private land for the project site with a lot area of 2,100 square meters located near the existing municipal health office and municipal hall.
“This is the landmark program of this town administration who wish to improve the delivery of health services,” Cañedo said, adding the proposed state-of-the-art facility will house an innovative laboratory hub, outpatient department, birthing center, and the MHO.
Prior to this, the local government unit (LGU) initially planned to build a municipal hospital but DOH-12 Director Dr. Aristides Concepcion-Tan recommended to rather put-up a modern health facility to assure the viability of the operation.
“It's quite difficult for the LGU to maintain a hospital which needs some PHP2 million monthly to efficiently sustain its operation that is why we changed our plan”, Cañedo said.
The existing rural health center situated at the Poblacion has three full-time physicians, a dentist, several nurses, and clerical staff. Its office utilizes a temporary shelter after the series of tremors that damaged their facility last October 2019. (PNA)
