Cotabato Sanitarium is a DOH-retained Level 1 Philhealth accredited facility with an authorized bed capacity (ABC) of two hundred fifty (250) beds with an implementing bed capacity (IBC) of one hundred (100) for hansenites/ leprosy patients and with an authorized bed capacity (ABC) of Twenty-Five (25) beds and forty (40) beds implementing bed capacity for general care.
Cotabato Sanitarium was knowingly created by an Act of Congress after World War II. The hospital has a dual role in health care management, being the home to several patients afflicted with leprosy (PALs), some of which are old, debilitated, and weak, and has been rendering consultations to non-hansenites cases since 1994 in accordance to Department Order No. 72 s. 1994 which was amended by Administrative Order 2005-0013 otherwise known as the Revised Roles and Responsibilities of the Eight (8) existing sanitaria in the Philippines thereby expanding its original mandate.
Today, Cotabato Sanitarium stands on a three (3) hectare titled lot in Barangay Ungap, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao. This lot was the fruit of hard work by the Director Abdullah B. Dumama, Jr., then the Regional Director of CHD XII now Undersecretary of Health and then Mayor Bai Shajida B. Mastura together with the leaders of the Municipality of Sultan Kudarat, former Mayor Tocao O. Mastura and former Congressman Michael O. Mastura. These tireless individuals painstakingly worked out the donation of the lot from the heirs of the late Bai Mariam Datu Mamadra.
Cotabato Sanitarium now stand tall as one of the seventy (70) DOH retained hospitals in the entire Philippines, from a hansenites custodial facility to a Level 1 PHIC accredited, ISO 9001:2015 certified health facility. It boasts of delivering quality health care services to its catchment areas and to its neighboring municipalities where the poor and the marginalized patients are given health services without worrying about the cost of their treatment because Cotabato Sanitarium strongly adheres to the No Balance Billing (NBB) program.
Cotabato Sanitarium continues to expand and upgrade its services through the Health Facility Enhancement Program (HFEP) of the Department of Health. This continued adherence to NBB and quality health care services resulted to an increasing number of patients seeking medical consultation and treatment at Cotabato Sanitarium. With this increasing number of patient, Cotabato Sanitarium find it difficult to continue operating under its current structure and budget thus, it desperately needs an upgrade and assistance from all sectors especially the Department of Health and someone from the legislative branch of Government to sponsor and champion its desire to be upgraded into a two hundred-fifty bed (250) hospital and to realize its vision of being a level 2 health facility by 2022.
B. Mandate of the Facility
Cotabato Sanitarium operates under the mandate of Department Order No. 72 s. 1994 whereby it redirects the Roles and Responsibilities of the eight (8) Sanitaria wherein it shall:
• Be responsible for training of health workers in Leprosy Control
• Serve as Information, Collection of the field reports for the Leprosy Control Program
• Serve as Center for Information for the Leprosy Control Program
• Provide Technical supervision and monitoring and leadership to the field units of the National Leprosy Control Program Implementation
• Provide for Emergency and Out-patient treatment / care for the general population in its immediate catchment area. It shall upgrade its Emergency Room to enable them to perform minor surgery and expand the coverage of their Out-patient service, to non-leprosy cases. They shall provide for the necessary drugs and supplies in the OPD and Emergency cases.
On May 30, 2005, Administrative Order 2005-0013 was issued expanding the legal mandate of the eight (8) existing sanitaria in the Philippine archipelago.
Administrative Order No. 2005-0013 otherwise known as the Revised Roles and Responsibilities of the Eight Sanitaria Hospitals provides for the following;
• Expand the legal mandate of the eight (8) Sanitaria nationwide.
• Maintain a leprosy unit and coordinate with their respective Center for Health Development and the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control – Infectious Disease.
• Responsible for the training of health workers in their respective catchment areas regarding updates, trainings, re-training on leprosy control program.
• Integrate Multi-Drug Therapy services fully with the existing general health care services.
• Serve as the referral center for the management of complications, patient and family counselling and community education.
• Conduct community dialogues about leprosy with the National Leprosy Control Program
• Provide for emergency, out-patient and in-patient treatment / care for the general population in its immediate catchment area. Each sanitarium shall upgrade its emergency room, shall provide for out-patient department and convert existing buildings as wards to accommodate in-patients for general services care.
• Make available initially the following five major Service Departments namely: Medical, Surgical, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Family Medicine, and Pediatrics
Vision
Cotabato Sanitarium and General Hospital as a premiere Level II multi-specialty healthcare institution and an end referral center for leprosy in the Bangsamoro Region and Central Mindanao by 2026.
Mission
To provide quality healthcare services that aim to change and improve the hospital experience of every Juan and Juana in Central Mindanao and the Bangsamoro Region through sustainable, accessible, and accountable healthcare service, culturally sensitive, customer-centric environment, innovative and continuous quality improvement.
Core Values
Compassion Culturally Sensitive
Service-Oriented Accountability
Globally-competitive Resilient
Holistic Approach Excellence
Socially Responsive