P2.7B needed to rebuild Marawi health facilities – Ubial
LIKE MOSUL Burnt and bombed-out structures in Marawi recall those in Mosul, Iraq.
An estimated P2.7 billion will be needed for the infrastructure of the damaged health facility and the rebuilding of Marawi.
“We estimated P2.7 billion for infrastructure of damage health facility and were also thinking of rebuilding Marawi into an ideal health system where we have one barangay health station for barangay one rural health unit health center for 20,000 population; one lying-in facility, and polyclinic for 50,000 population, and then one hospital bed for 800 population. So that is why the cost of reconstruction in Marawi goes up to P2.7 billion,” said Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial.
“And then for hospital, one bed for every 800 population so we will be upgrading our medical center, the Amai Pakpak Medical Center for 500 beds…. I think we’ll add 200 to 300 personnel for the entire Marawi,” she added.
The ongoing armed conflict in Marawi is the biggest displacement in Philippine history that is not caused by a natural disaster, said Ubial during the forum held by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines and the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines Monday.
“In the Marawi siege, we have one of the biggest displacement in Philippine history not caused by natural disaster. So 102,000 families or 465,000 persons, nearly half a million. And so far, 42 deaths and about 31,516 injuries,” she said.
“The number of health facilities damaged, so far, we have recorded one hospital. We are not able to assess health facility in Marawi because we are not allowed to enter the city. That’s one hospital affected, costing about P5 million. Mostly from stray bullets that go through the glass and walls of the hospital and also the supplies that was damaged by the brownout,” she added.
Meanwhile, Ubial also discussed the impact of armed conflict on public health.
“There are many health impact of this armed conflict,” she said.
Ubial noted that the effects of armed conflict are deaths, diseases, injuries and disabilities, distress, damage to health facilities, interruption of health services, and depletion of health resources.
