BARMM frontliners admit getting threats while contact-tracing COVID-19 possible patients

COTABATO CITY -  The Ministry of Health in the Bangsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao (MOH-BARMM) has admitted thet its frontliners and health workers have the difficulty in contact-tracing "probable" and "suspected" COVID-19 patients since relatives of persons they interview have been threatening them.

Dr. Saffrullah Dipatuan, Minister of Health in the Bangsamoro region said that their efforts to help contain the spread of disease is hampered by harassments to its frontliners.

“Families got mad when we start interviewing them about possibility of a contact contact with a peson found positive of COVID-19," Dipatuan said.

"They fear they will be stigmatized as possible carriers of the disease when visited by health workers," Dipatuan said of people threatening frontliners.

Dipatuan lamented reactions of some people that the agency was keeping the real picture of COVID-19 in Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao.

“They denied to death when asked during interviews by our frontliners although we know they have close contact with the patients suspected of coronavirus, its not us keeping the information, its them," he said.

He cited social media comments that MOH is keeping the real picture in the region as fake news and aims to discredit his office.

As of today the COVID-19 positive in the region has reached to 10 persons. Two new cases has been traced from Marawi City and Lanao Del Sur town.

Both of them are treated in Northern Mindanao Medical Center sa Cagayan de Oro City.

One of the patient is a senior citizen.

Of the 10 cases they had since the start of the campaign, three of them died, five has recovered and two are still being treated.