Bangsamoro lawmakers push for establishment of hospital in Lantawan, Basilan

COTABATO CITY – A measure aimed at establishing a level I general hospital with a 25-bed capacity in the Municipality of Lantawan, Basilan, was introduced on first reading in the Bangsamoro Parliament.

MP Amilbahar Mawallil, one of the main authors of Parliament Bill No. 109, said that there is an urgent need for the construction and establishment of the Lantawan General Hospital, a bill that provides the municipality's constituents with societal rights while also ensuring their individual basic rights to life.

Only the Matarling Rural Health Unit in Lantawan, which primarily functions as a maternity center, he said, provides critical medical services to the entire municipality.

He explained that the entire municipality relies on the said rural health unit in Lantawan for its health care needs, given that no other facilities exist.

He also noted that patients need to be transported to the nearest hospital or health facility in adjacent municipalities for emergency and other health treatments.

"This inconveniences Lantawan's constituents, and, in some cases, the cost paid is in the lives of patients who expire without receiving the urgent medical care they need," Mawallil added.

The coastal third-class municipality of Lantawan was established and politically organized into 25 barangays in Basilan. It has a total population of 31,040, accounting for 7.28% of the total population of Basilan province.

Once approved, the Basilan Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) will have direct administrative and technical control over the hospital.

The BARMM Ministry of Health will be responsible for formulating the necessary guidelines for its operations as a level I hospital, as well as securing funding for the construction of the hospital building and other complementary infrastructure, facilities, and medical equipment, and the costs for the necessary maintenance and personnel services.

Deputy Speaker Hatimil Hassan, Muslimin Jakilan, and Atty. Laisa Alamia are also main proponents of the proposed measure. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)