€PRE
APRESS

fig D
(3 RECEIVED A

is - m
2 parel ie ww
i s Time 4! t
Republic of the < by
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES \e, bY BELG
‘Quezon City, Metro Manila Gy Y
20 concaess Wo inpesF
41st Regular Session
wouse uno 3497

Introduced by Representative SITTIE SHAHARA “BAI DIMPLE” I. MASTURA.

AN ACT
UPGRADING THE COTABATO SANITARIUM AND GENERAL HOSPITAL IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF
SULTAN KUDARAT, PROVINCE OF MAGUINDANAO DEL NORTE, INTO A LEVEL Il! HOSPITAL, AND
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Cotabato Sanitarium and General Hospital located in the Municipality of Sultan Kudarat, is one of
two hospitals in the Province of Maguindanao del Norte under the operational and administrative
control of the Department of Health; with the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center (CRMC) in the
City of Cotabato as the other.

With the exception of a few, nearly all patients from Central Mindanao use CRMC as their referral hub
causing heavy patient loads that more often than not include cases that Level | and II healthcare
facilities can and should manage, and such overutilization of CRMC greatly underscores the pressing
need to spread out the delivery of basic health services in the Province of Maguindanao del Norte, and
in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM),

With that as the background, the Cotabato Sanitarium and General Hospital which caters to the
‘Municipality of Sultan Kudarat and the so-called Iranun municipalities of Sultan Mastura, Parang,
Barira, Buldon and Matanog in addition to the adjacent municipalities of Pigcawayan, Libungan and
‘Alamada, Province of Cotabato and the newly created Special Geographic Areas (SGA) of BARMM, can
be upgraded to serve as an alternate referral center.

Considering that the hospital bed-to-population ratio in the Province of Maguindanao del Norte
remains critically below the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended benchmark of 3:1000
population, the Cotabato Sanitarium and General Hospital when upgraded is posed to complement
CRMC, given that based on the latest Census of Population and Housing of 2020, the total population
of the Province of Maguindanao del Norte stood at 618,421 with the Municipality of Sultan Kudarat as
‘the most populous with 105,121 residents.

Within the context of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Program, the low bed-to-population ratio, poses
a serious challenge in the delivery of accessible healthcare services.


This bill therefore seeks to upgrade the Cotabato Sanitarium and General Hospital to a Level ill facility
to provide a more inclusive, equitable, affordable and comprehensive health services to all, as an
alternative core referral hub to the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center.

‘This measure when approved and enacted will strengthen our resolve to protect and promote the right
to health of the people more particularly our constituents from the Province of Maguindanao del Norte
with Cotabato City and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

a
In view of the foregoing, passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

‘Maguindanao detNorte, Lone District


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

20" CONGRESS
Ist Regular Session

37

HOUSE BILLNO.~ *

Introduced by Representative SITTIE SHAHARA “BAl DIMPLE” I. MASTURA.

AN ACT
UPGRADING THE COTABATO SANITARIUM AND GENERAL HOSPITAL IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF
SULTAN KUDARAT, PROVINCE OF MAGUINDANAO DEL NORTE, INTO A LEVEL III HOSPITAL, AND
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
Assembled:

SECTION 1. The Cotabato Sanitarium and General Hospital in the Municipality of sultan
Kudarat, Province of Maguindanao del Norte is hereby upgraded into a Level III hospital.

SEC. 2. The three hundred (300) bed capacity of the Cotabato Sanitarium and General
Hospital shall be increased to six hundred (600) beds. Any future increase in bed capacity shall
be prepared by the Department of Health.

SEC. 3. The existing professional health care services and facilities of the Cotabato
Sanitarium and General Hospital are hereby upgraded to conform with and be commensurate
to the increase in bed capacity as provided for in Section 1 hereof.

SEC, 4. The existing workforce of the Cotabato Sanitarium and General Hospital, which
includes doctors, nurses and support personnel, shall be increased correspondingly.

SEC. 5. The Secretary of Health shall, after consultation with the Chief of Hospital of the
Cotabato Sanitarium and General Hospital, and in coordination with the Department of
Budget and Management, and the Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission, determine
the additional new positions to be created.

SEC. 6. The Secretary of Health shall immediately include in its Department’s program the
implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act.


SEC. 7. If any provision or part of this Act is declared unconstitutional, the remaining parts
or provisions not affected shall remain in full force and effect.

SEC. 8. All laws, executive orders, issuances and rules, or regulations inconsistent with this
Act is hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 9. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette
or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,