The City Government of Davao will be building an inpatient shelter facility for Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and Muslim runners and watchers at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).
This move aims to prioritize the well-being, cultural-sensitivity, and specific needs of the city’s 11 ethnolinguistic groups- the Ata, Bagobo Klata, Bagobo Tagabawa, Matigsalug, Obu-Manuvu, Iranun, Kagan, Maguindanaon, Maranao, Sama, and Tausug.
Councilor Rodolfo Mande, IP Representative, said in an interview with the City Information Office (CIO) that the city government has already allotted a budget for the construction of a three-storey inpatient shelter facility.
He also said that the facility will be a huge help for the IP and Muslim runners or watchers inpatients at the SPMC.
“Mahinumduman nato sa pipila ka mga katuigan nga maglisod gyud ang atoang mga IP ug Muslim watcher ug runners kung magdala og pasyente diha sa SPMC (We’ve observed in the previous years that the IP and Muslim runners and watchers of IP and Muslim patients in SPMC are having a hard time),” Mande said.
“Naa’y kakulangan og tulogan ug wala’y facility kung asa sila maligo, asa sila magluto. Usa gyud ni kadakong tabang para sa ilaha kay daghan gyud sila og di’ maayo’ng kasinatian tungod aning wala’y pormal nga facility (There is a lack of proper sleeping areas, and there’s no facility where they can cook their meals or take a bath. The shelter facility will be a big help for them because they did have a lot of bad experiences due to the lack of formal facility for them),” he furthered.
The inpatient shelter is designed to provide culturally sensitive and community-based support and services to IPs and Muslims in the hospital.
The three-storey building will be constructed within the SPMC compound, and shall provide access to healthcare services that are sensitive to the unique health challenges faced by Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs). CIO
