Ex-rebels’ wives now barangay health workers
COTABATO CITY – The Ministry of Health (MOH) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has tapped the services of the wives of former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) fighters to deliver health services in the region’s communities.
The MOH began deploying the newly minted barangay health workers (BHWs) on Tuesday to Maguindanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Norte provinces after they underwent training for their official role as Health Education and Promotion Officers as mandated by Republic Act No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care Law.
“This is BARMM’s commitment to enhancing health care services in the region,” said Health Minister Kadil Sinolinding.
He added that those being trained totaled 956, bringing the MOH’s BHW force to 8,600, serving 2,598 villages throughout the region.
Sinolinding said additional BHWs will be deployed to other provinces once they complete the orientation and training.
Auxiliaries
Some of the 956 new BHWs had served as auxiliaries of the MILF, who were exposed to community organizing and health extension work.
Their husbands, according to Sinolinding, are all decommissioned Moro fighters, meaning, they are undergoing a transition from the life of being combatants to that of civilians, and their weapons “put beyond use” as intended by the 2014 peace deal between the government and the MILF.
From their former roles of aiding the rebellion, the new BHWs are now equipped with the skills and knowledge to extend health education in communities and contribute to enhancing the people’s physical well-being.
The recruitment of the wives of former rebels is part of the ongoing decommissioning process. “Their hiring is (also) a strategic move to strengthen health education and medical services at the grassroots level,” Sinolinding said.
During the training, MOH planning chief Anisa Matuan and Dr. Geraldine Macapeges of the Maguindanao Provincial Health Office reminded the new BHWs to maintain proper coordination with barangay nurses and midwives. They were also told to sharpen their understanding of the needs of their communities, including maintaining an updated profile of the households they serve.
The new BHWs will receive a monthly compensation of P4,000.
