Lawmakers push for hospital establishment, adequate compensation for BARMM medical workers

COTABATO CITY ― In an effort to address issues in the medical and healthcare sectors, Bangsamoro lawmakers are now working to enact measures aimed at constructing a new hospital and providing fair compensation for medical workers in the region.

Recognizing the crucial roles played by nurses and other public health workers in the region, Members of Parliament Amilbahar Mawallil, Dr. Hashemi Dilangalen, and Hamid Malik are at the forefront of advocating for the passage of Parliament Bill No. 237, or the “Bangsamoro Public Health Workers Compensation Act of 2023.”

“This legislative bill aims to address the longstanding issue of inadequate compensation by enhancing the benefits and allowances of these professionals and providing forms of compensation to recognize the unique challenges they face,” said MP Mawallil.

Once enacted into law, PB No. 237 will provide a monthly honorarium of P3,000 to all actively and regularly performing public health workers.

The giving of honoraria will be implemented through a phased salary enhancement program over a three-period period. The selection of recipients will be based on a comprehensive evaluation of existing salary scales, market standards, and regional economic factors to establish fair and competitive compensation for all public health workers.

The bill also includes various forms of compensation, including hazard, subsistence, and transportation allowances, as well as emergency assistance and death and burial benefits, which will be extended to eligible public health workers.

PB No. 237 extends its coverage to all active and regularly performing public health workers employed within BARMM. This includes physicians, nurses, nursing assistants, midwives, laboratory and medical technicians, and pharmacists employed in various healthcare establishments owned and operated by the government or its political subdivisions with original charters.

MPs Atty. Laisa Alamia, Engr. Baintan Ampatuan, Atty. Rasol Mitmug Jr., Engr. Don Mustapha Loong, Atty. Suharto Ambolodto, and Rasul Ismael are also pushing for the enactment of PB No. 237 as co-authors.

Other lawmakers are proposing the strategic construction of a fifty-bed general hospital in Cotabato City through PB No. 236, or the “Ghazali Jaafar General Hospital Act of 2023.” The hospital will be named in honor of Moro Islamic Liberation Front Vice Chair Ghazali Jaafar, recognizing his instrumental contribution to drafting the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

Cotabato City, with a population of 325,079, currently has only three hospitals with a combined bed capacity of 88. The establishment of a fifty-bed hospital will help address the city’s shortage of 230 beds, catering not only to its residents but also to neighboring areas.

MPs Atty. Ambolodto, Atty. Ishak Mastura, Suwaib Oranon, Engr. Baintan Ampatuan, Mudjib Abu, Dr. Hashemi Dilangalen, and Suharto Esmael are the principal authors of PB No. 236. They were joined by MPs Atty. Laisa Alamia, Amilbahar Mawallil, Atty. Rasol Mitmug Jr., Rasul Ismael, and Engr. Don Mustapha Loong as co-authors. (LTAIS-Public Information, Publication, and Media Relations Division)