COTABATO CITY: Mayor Frances Guiani-Sayadi and Department of Health- 12 director Dr. Aristides Tan led here Wednesday the opening of a PHP5.2-million patient care center (PPC) for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) not far from the city hall along Malagapas district.

Called “Ligtas Covid Center” (LCC), the 40-bed facility is compliant with DOH standards.

During her speech, Guiani-Sayadi said the first few weeks of the Covid-19 onslaught was a critical period for Cotabateños, citing the mounting deaths around the country brought about by the virus.

“We heard of people dying everywhere. This is the fear that Covid-19 brought to us,” the mayor said.

But the mayor said the local government has always abided by the guidelines set by the DOH and National Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid-19, which explains the building of a PPC for the city to address anticipated Covid-19 cases.

“Even the city’s 37 barangays have their own isolation centers,” she said, adding the LCC has sufficient ventilation and amenities that would make patients comfortable during their isolation.

“Cotabato City, we leave no one behind. Together we should flatten the curve,” the mayor said.

Meanwhile, Tan said DOH-12 will help oversee the operation of the center, situated less than a kilometer away from the Cotabato Regional Medical Center, a referral hospital for Covid-19 cases in Region 12 and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“With the LCC established, we are assured that there is now a place for Covid-19 cases in the city,” he said.

 (PNA/ Noel Punzalan/ SRNY/ RSP)